Update to the arrangements for our lectures going forward. We are now able to return to full seating as we had before the pandemic and in keeping with government guidance, as long as we all follow sensible procedures we are returning to ‘normal’. We are very much looking forward to seeing our members back again for the interesting lecture programme we have arranged for the year ahead. We also hope to be offering members some interesting extra events again as we move out of the pandemic situation.
The Arts Society Welwyn Garden ushered in the New Year with a lecture by Gavin Plumley about Pieter Bruegel the Elder and his series of paintings charting the course of a year.
Gavin led us into the world of these paintings and opened our eyes to the message that Bruegel was trying to convey. We learnt how Bruegel's world of hard-working peasants, suffering the the vissicitudes of harsh winter months, or their rare moments of leisure, having a picnic after bringing in the harvest, was unknown to the wealthy merchants on whose walls these paintings were destined to hang.
The Arts Society Welwyn Garden were delighted to take part in the St. Francis Church Christmas Tree Festival on the 4th and 5th of December. It was a welcome return of the Festival and an excellent way of promoting our Society to the general public.
Our committee creative team, Cheri, Sue and Christine worked well designing wonderful figures depicting the Nativity. Thank-you to each of them for their magnificent efforts, the tree looked wonderful.
When I visited on the 4th I was most impressed and our tree certainly stood out among the many entries.
It has been a very difficult time for many people during the pandemic and the Arts have been hit particularly hard. Prior to Lockdown, Teresa Hook, who led on Young Arts Volunteering for a number of years, began negotiations with the Anvil and Proteus to see how we might support their work with young people. They came up with two initiatives that we have been able to support with a grant of £250 each.
This is a very curtailed report as the Society has been unable to meet or carry out any other activities because of the pandemic.
We continue to have applications from ex-members of the South Lakes Arts Society which closed at the start of the pandemic. Consequently our current membership is full at 230 people and there are 19 people on the waiting list., and I have been active in maintaining our membership at full capacity.
The TAS Farnham Church recorders presented their most recent record to St.Mark's Church in Hale, Farnham. Working as and when Covid Regulations allowed they completed their detailed work of the church and its unique collection of recently restored murals.
