From November 2025 our monthly lectures will be at the Whitemans Green Sports Club at Cuckfield, RH17 5HX. 

Doors open at 9.30 with the lecture at 10.30 after a short introduction. Please click here for to access the Sports Club's website and more information about the venue is given below.

Lectures are free to Members.  Due to space limitations we have closed membership at present.  If you are interested in joining the society please send us an email at membership.asms@gmail.com and we will put your name on our waiting list. 

Similarly, due to space constraints we cannot welcome visitors to our lectures at present.

Membership is £50 pa 1st November to 31st October. Please see opposite the Gift Aid form.

As well as entrance to the lectures members can attend the study days, trips and holidays offered by Mid Sussex and other local societies. To book a place on a Mid Sussex activity please email membership.asms@gmail.com 

Members also receive an Arts Magazine which is distributed 3 times year and the central team send emails with information about exhibitions etc that may be of interest.  From time to time one of the accredited lectures writes with the title 'Become an Instant Expert on...' and these pieces offer a deeper insight into a topic.  Additionally the central team secure discounts, especially with travel companies, on our behalf and information about these offers is emailed and can be found in the magazine.

Lecture and Events programme

Lectures will be held at the Whitemans Green Sports Club, Cuckfield, on the third Wednesday of each month.   Doors open at 9.30 am. The meetings are held on the first floor which is accessed by stairs and a lift.  Accessible WCs are available on both floors.  In the unlikely event of a fire, assistance will be offered to those who need help descending the stairs from the refuge area(s).

Refreshments can be purchased in the café and the lecture begins at 10.30 am after a short introduction. Due to space constraints we cannot at present welcome visitors to our lectures.

There is ample free parking including disabled spaces on site.  Cuckfield is served by Metrobus 271 & Compass routes 31/31A.

21st January 2026 - A Private Palace of Art: Frederic Leighton's Studio House. A lecture by Daniel Robbins.  Leighton House is one of the most remarkable houses of the 19th century, built up by Frederic Leighton to reflect his travels through the Middle East.

18th February 2026 - The De Beer Cartel: Romancing the Stone.  A lecture by Laurie Wickwire covering the establishment and continuing success of the De Beers Diamond Cartel.

24th February 2026 - STUDY DAY -  Unravelling The Silk Road.                                  Three lectures by Chris Aslan. Explore the birth of the Silk Road and how silk, wool and cotton fuelled trade in goods, foods, art, inventions, commodities, religions, fashions and so much more, ushering in the first era of globalisation.  0930 to 1500. Coffee on arrival. Plumpton Village Hall BN7 3BT.  £45 including lunch, or £30 bring-your-own lunch

 

18th March 2026 - Frauds and Fakes: Art Works that have Fooled the World.   A lecture by Georgina Bexon.  Fake art works continue to circulate and succeed in fooling experienced experts.  Some cases fro mbehind the scenes.

 

25th March -Visit - A National Gallery guided tour.  Joanne Rhymer, who lectured to us on the Neo-Impressionists, will lead a tour of 6 pictures of her choice on the theme “Painting Women” for an in depth “slow look” and discussion. Meet at 10:45 at the National Gallery. Tour lasts approx. 90 minutes.  £13 per person not including travel.

 

15th April 2026 - 18th Century English Porcelain: Chelsea, Worcester, Bow & Derby.              A lecture by Jane Gardiner which will look into the early experiments in porcelain making in England, and the influence of Europe, China and Japan as sources of inspiration.

28th April 2026 - VISIT - Coach trip to Chichester Cathedral to include a lunchtime concert,  an art and history guided tour, afternoon tea and Choral Evensong. £48 per person.

 

20th May 2026 - The Creation and the Early Years of the Newlyn School.  This will complement the upcoming exhibition at Champs Hill near Pulborough.

3rd June 2026 - VISIT - an afternoon self drive trip to Champs Hill Pulborough to see The Newlyn School Exhibition and weather permitting enjoy the gardens. More information will be available in due course.

 

17th June 2026 - Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  A lecture by Rosalind White who will explore the life and work of this much loved artist and architect.

21st July 2026 - Summer Lunch at Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Green, TN22 3RB.        The Music of the Sixties.   Two lectures featuring music from the 1960s together with coffee on arrival and a 2 course lunch.

16th September 2026 - "A trip along the River Thames in 1749". A lecture by Peter Ross based on the 14ft long panorama of the north bank of the Thames created in 1749 by the Buck Brothers.

28th September to 2nd October 2026 - VISIT TO GLASGOW.  Organised for us by Heritage Group Travel (part of Martin Randall Travel).  A 4 night stay in Glasgow: highlights include guided tours of The Burrell Colllection, Kelvingrove, Dumfries House and Ardgowan house and much more.  See the Brochure and Booking Form in the Attachments Panel.

 

21st October 2026 - Expressionists: Kandinsky, Munter & Blue Rider.  A lecture by Cindy Polemis on the birth of European Expressionism, which created bold emotional experiments in bright colours at a time of political and social upheaval.