At The Arts Society Welwyn Garden, we offer a warm welcome to members and visitors who attend our monthly lectures. We are a friendly, sociable Society, meeting on the third Wednesday of the month at 10.30am. Our venue, Campus West, is a well-appointed theatre with all the facilities conducive to a splendid lecture experience.

Our membership year runs from 1 April to 31 March and covers 10 lectures, with a break in August and December. Alongside our monthly lectures, we plan an exciting programme of coach trips, visits and events for members each year. Details of these are first publicised at our lectures, and then on this website.  See our 2026-2027 lecture programme below. 

We welcome new members who have an interest in the Arts, whether art, history, sculpture, architecture, literature, drama or music. For more information about joining the Arts Society Welwyn Garden please email our Membership Secretary Catherine Ferris at welwyngarden@theartssociety.org 

Our next lecture will be on Wednesday 20th May when David Haycock will talk on 'James McNeill Whistler and the London Impressionists'. An exhibition on Whistler - the first major European showing of his work in 30 years - opens at Tate Britain in London the following day, 21st May, so why not come along and find out more about this pioneering artist before visiting the exhibition? The lecture will be immediately followed by our AGM, to which all members are invited. We very much hope members will want to attend and hear how TASWG has done over the last year. AGM documents have been sent to members, but are also available to view below. 

Before then, on Thursday May 14th, we are running a coach trip to the magnificent BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, popularly known as the 'Neasden Temple'. See below for full details of the trip and how to book your place.

We also have a small 'pop-up' visit to Gorhambury House, a neo-Palladian Grade II listed mansion on the edge of St Albans, still in family ownership, arranged for Thursday June 11th. Places for this private guided tour are very limited, see below for more details. 

TASWG's overseas trip this year will be to explore the history and heritage of Malta, from Monday 12th October to Saturday 17th October. This trip is now full, but contact the committee via the email below if you would like to go on the waiting list. 

Closer to home, The Arts Society Beds & Herts Area is running a 3-day trip to enjoy 'Glorious Glyndebourne and the heritage of Sussex' from Saturday 24th October to Monday 26th October. This two-night trip will include a performance of 'The Barber of Seville' at Glyndebourne and visits to Charleston House, Brighton Pavilion and Bateman's, the home of Rudyard Kipling. Contact the TASWG committee via the email below for more details. 

Visitors are welcome to our lectures. Do come along to the Hawthorne Theatre at Campus West and see what The Arts Society is all about. Visitors' tickets (£10 or £5 for members of other Arts Societies with proof of membership) are available on the door or through the venue’s online booking system. https://www.campuswest.co.uk

Our Committee are a friendly team. We are always happy to encourage members to get involved in the Society, so whether you are a long-standing member or new to the Society please consider joining us or helping as a volunteer! Contact us via the email address below.