Welcome to our April newsletter.

The committee are pleased to report that next season’s programme is nearing completion and we have some new committee members which we hope will ensure the continuance of this branch – however, there are some roles still seeking a volunteer.  So if anyone amongst you feels able to volunteer we still need a Secretary, Treasurer and on-the-day help with refreshments. Please speak to any committee member at the lecture if you can help.

And our Film Club and Raffle are making generous sums of money for our Arts Volunteering activities, however it is proving challenging to find more local projects to support.  If anyone knows of any groups that are offering arts based activities and would like and need sponsorship, please get in touch and speak with any committee member – our current projects have come to us through one of our members.

Our April lecture is being held on Thursday 9th, starting at 2:00pm, doors open at 1:30pm.

The lecture is titled “Pop Art USA - the Art of Fun”
The USA emerged as a dominant world power after WW2, with a booming economy in the 1950s and 1960s which generated a consumer boom.

A new style of art emerged in the 1960s, partly in reaction against the high seriousness of Abstract Expressionism, which tapped into the ubiquity of new media: television, advertising, youth culture and comic books. This new art became known as Pop Art, and rapidly dominated the art world (in the 60s).

This talk traces the emergence of this bold new art in the USA with the innovative work of neo-Dadist artists Johns, Rauschenberg and Oldenburg and the pioneering Pop artists Lichtenstein, Warhol, Indiana, Rosenquist, Ruscha and Thiebaud.  Finally it will consider its significance and as whether it celebrates or critiques consumerism and the American way.

Our lecturer, Colin Pink, has a BA in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Southampton and an MA in the History of Art from Birbeck, University of London. He specializes in twentieth century and contemporary art in Europe and North America. Colin lectures at Morley College London and has also curated exhibitions of contemporary art and has published four books of poetry.

This lecture is an updated one from the one previously advertised in our programme ‘Pop Art and the Rise of Consumer Culture’.

 Refreshments will be available after the lecture, for a donation.

Raffle tickets can be bought before the lecture, 50p per ticket, to win a £10 book token.  The proceeds of the raffle go towards the Arts volunteering projects.

There will be an opportunity to buy tickets for the Cinema Club on Friday 24th April or 1st May.

WHAT’S ON

Forthcoming Events:

Cinema Club – Friday 24th April and 1st May @ 2:00pm
Next film: David Hockney at the Royal Academy of Arts

Widely considered Britain’s most popular artist, David Hockney is a global sensation with exhibitions in London, New York, Paris and beyond, attracting millions of visitors worldwide.

Now entering his 9th decade, Hockney shows absolutely no evidence of slowing down or losing his trademark boldness.

Featuring intimate and in-depth interviews with Hockney, this revealing film focuses on two blockbuster exhibitions held in 2012 and 2016 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Director Phil Grabsky secured privileged access to craft this cinematic celebration of a 21st century master od creativity.

To be shown at: The Park Tavern, 158 Park Lane, SK11 6UB. Please arrive at 1:45pm so you have time to buy drinks and snacks from the bar and choose your after film hot drink and homemade cake (included in the price). These will be served in the bar downstairs which gives time to sit and chat. The cost is £8.00.  As there is limited availability (only 20 seats) priority will be given to those attending the lecture. 

A Grand Day Out –Wednesday 20th May, 2026

In conjunction with Wilmslow Arts Society we are organising this trip, and the uptake has been good and all our allocated places are now taken, and we have a waiting list. So, if you are booked to go on the visit and find you cannot, please email Rosie,  rosemary.slater@hotmail.co.uk , so we can refill the space.  Thank you.

Music@Mike’s
St Michael’s church is holding informal lunchtime concerts from 1:15 - 2:00pm.  Entry for the concerts is free, but donations to the East Cheshire Hospice and St. Michael’s are welcomed. Light refreshments are available at The Angel At My Table cafe. There is one concert this month:

Friday 10th :        Recital with Sarah Wilkes (mezzo), David Smith (baritone) and Neil Taylor (piano)

REX Cinema, Wilmslow
The following streamings are showing this month:
The Royal Opera:       Siegfried                      Sunday 5th April @ 2:00pm
                                      The Magic Flute         Tuesday 21st April @ 6:45pm
National Theatre:       Othello                        Wednesday 15th April @ 7:30pm
                                       All My Sons                Thursday 16th April @ 7:30pm
                                                                            Wednesday 22nd April @ 7:30pm

KEMS
There are no concerts this month.

Northern Chamber Orchestra
Saturday 11th @ 7:30pm at Kings School, Macclesfield
Haydn                 Symphony No 49 (‘La Passione’)
Anna Clyne      Prince of Clouds
Schumann       Symphony No 3 (‘Rhenish’)

Local Arts Societies:

North East Cheshire
Wednesday 8th March @ 10:30am
Venue – Wilmslow Conference Centre, Wilmslow Way, Handforth SK9 3PE.  This can be found at Total Fitness, opposite Handforth Dean on the A34 bypass.

“How to Read the English Country Church – Pre-Christian to the Tudors” – speaker Dr Nicholas Henderson

Wilmslow
Thursday 9th March @ 7:30pm
Venue - the United Reform Church, Wilmslow SK9 1PR
“Modern Art in One Hour”  – speaker Sarah Ciacci