The Arts Society works nationally to advance arts education and appreciation, alongside promoting the preservation of artistic and cultural heritage.  We are a UK-based charity with over 64,000 members supporting a network of 376 local societies worldwide.The Wessex Area stretches from Bath in the north-east to Poole in the south-west and supports 18 individual societies.  To see the date and time of all the Wessex societies, please download the file in 'Attachments' on the right side of this window.

If you are unable to join a Society, there is an inexpensive 'Supporters Membership', too.  Supporter Members receive an Arts Society Magazine three times a year in which can be found events which are open to Supporter Members, as well as members of individual societies.  These include Special Interest Days or joining volunteering groups in work in arts and heritage projects.The Area and our societies encourages and promotes Heritage Volunteering projects, Arts Volunteering activities and Trails of Discovery projects.  Members of these volunteering activities working together as a team, exploring new interests and learning new skills.  Click here to see what Volunteering is all about.

WESSEX CONNECTED EVENTS: The Area Team also runs a popular Study Day Course through the winter months at Cerne Abbas Village Hall, DT2 7GY just south of Sherborne, Dorset. These events are designed to give a more in-depth understanding of a topics than the monthly lectures in the societies.​ Any surplus raised by our events go towards funding our Arts Volunteering projects across Wessex and in our societies. Detailed information about the content of each day on the course can be found in documents to the right of this page. Unfortunately the Study Day Courses in the North of Wessex Area have been discontinued due to the current lack of support. 

More information can be found on the Wessex Area website www.theartssocietywessexarea.org.uk 

To book tickets contact www.tickettailor/events/theartssocietywessexarea

Any queries please email  wessexconnectedevents@gmail.com  

THE ARTS SOCIETY WESSEX AREA.  

The Winter series for 2025/26

The evolution of English gardens from the 15^th century to the present day.  A 5-day series to be held in the excellent Cerne Abbas Village Hall during the 2025/26 winter, from Tuesday 14 October 2025 to Tuesday 10 March 2026.  The series will not be available on Zoom.

The series will explore the concept of gardens as Art, and also gardens in Art.  It will deal in more detail with various times in the devolution of gardens in England in the 16^th to 18^th centuries, and the 20^th century.

The Study Days

Tuesday 14 October 2025 – Timothy Walker starts the series with a Day on what gardens mean to us, from the evolution of gardens, gardens as Art, and what gardens can do for us, through nature, art, science and spirituality meeting on equal terms. 

Tuesday 11 November 2025 – James Bolton on the evolution of gardens from the 16^th to the 18^th centuries. 

Tuesday 13 January 2026 – Caroline Holmes turns our attention to the Impressionists in the 19^th century, not just in their art but also in the way that this impacted on the evolution of gardens.

Tuesday 10 February 2026 – James Bolton returns to discuss the 20^th century, and the major changes that have taken place in garden design in the modern era.

Tuesday 10 March 2026 – Clare Ford-Wille brings the series to a close with her consideration of the way that gardens have featured in art, from the Roman period to Monet.

Full details of speakers and the study days are available to view on the Arts Society Wessex area website.  

The fee for the 5-day series at Cerne Abbas will be £41 for individual days, or £195 for all five days, a saving of £10.  Tickets can be purchased through the Ticket Tailor website, the link for which is -

www.tickettailor.com/events/theartssocietywessexarea

Refunds will not be possible within 2 weeks of the Day.

For any queries, please contact Christopher Clarke on - wessexconnectedevents@gmail.com

We do hope you will join one of our societies to meet others who are interested in gaining a deeper knowledge of art in its many forms or attend the Wessex Connected Study Days Series.

Susie Pearson, Wessex Area Chairman