A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM THE AREA TEAM

As 2019 slithers downhill to the new year of 2020 with an uncertain political scene exercising all the media pundits, it is time to reflect on the happier events of The Arts Society in the southwest over the past twelve months.

The high spot of the year has been the production of our area book Fifty Treasures of the Southwest. The cooperation of the society committees and members in collecting items for inclusion has personally given me great satisfaction as has the help from my area colleagues Jo Wymer, Jeremy Logie and Dilys Farrant in choosing the selected items and endless proof-reading. (I hope that you have not discovered 'typos' - I am now convinced that we all read with predictive text and so easily miss any error!) The sales have been phenomenal thankyou and although we printed 50% more than the other areas have produced (3,000), after less than eight weeks only 200 are left. So - if you want some more for your society, please let me know quickly. First come/first lucky!.

AN IMPORTANT QUESTIONNAIRE COMING TO YOU

All society committee members will very soon be receiving an important email survey to gather information about your relationship with your Arts Society Area (this one!) This is to produce a cost benefit/benefit analysis of the area structure - essentially what you pay for it and how and what you get back in return. (In this area, your area team receive an area capitation fee of 30 pence per member from you to run the area structure). Although the area team is regarded as a 'regional department' of the national organisation, it does not receive funding out of the £13.40 per member that you pay annually in the national affiliation fee. This exercise is a part of a large governance review of The Arts Society and was last looked at about twenty years ago. I would encourage all of you please to complete this questionnaire. How and what is on offer from the area (Chairmen's fora, informal chairs meetings, grants, advice, arts courses, study days and tours) are all up for review. Your responses will shape the future for years to come.

AREA EVENTS SINCE SEPTEMBER

All our area-organised events have been very well attended which indicates that they are what the members want and that they offer good value for money. Once again, our three area study tours have been fully booked and the Sussex trip since our autumn chairmen's forum proved a varied selection of arts - the very different Towner Gallery, the beautifully restored Brighton Royal Pavilion, the music of Glyndebourne and the home of the Bloomsbury set at Charleston House. The Rigoletto production was a modern version, somewhat different as set in a 1920's film studio. Not as unusual as what our local acclaimed opera star and lecturer Tim Mirfin told me that he had to perform in Germany with the opera set in the antartic and the chorus all dressed as penguins with huge yellow flippers!

SUSSEX TOUR OCTOBER 2019

Forty members (and prospective members) travelled to Sussex to visit The Towner Gallery (top image) in Eastbourne - as different, exciting and well worth visiting inside as outside; the refurbished Royal Pavilion in Brighton with Platinum covered wall paper and a treat of treasures, and a performance of modern (1920s) Rigoletto at Glyndebourne (middle image - and note the excellent star of a 1950's MG TF car - bit of a boob actually, as this was not around thirty years earlier when the opera was set!) and with Rigoletto the clown as Charlie Chaplin. Finally, a morning at Charleston House (bottom image), the country home of the Bloomsbury set. A very different place and the inside of the house is a great demonstration of the arts and crafts of the period. (Whacky!) Well worth a visit."They lived in squares, socialised in circles and loved in triangles"

PLANNED EVENTS 2020 - (Please see the area website for study days and tours organised by SW societies) http://www.theartssocietysw.org.uk/Special/FutureSpecial.aspx

SW AREA STUDY DAY 'From Holbein to Hockney: A History of British Portrait Painting' at Buckfast Abbey Conference CentreValerie Woodgate Friday 01 May 2020

AREA STUDY TOUR 2020 TO DURHAM AND NORTHUMBERLAND For full details, please see the area website

AREA ARTS COURSES 2020

The area History of Arts courses ('Am I missing something?') start from January in Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton and Sidmouth. These courses remain very popular and although a waiting list is in operation in some centres, there are a few places left in others. For details and up to date information, please look on the SW area website.

THE ARTS SOCIETY WEST CORNWALL YOUNG ARTS

Felicitas Wagner's picture "Feathered Flight" has been selected to appear at ROSL and The Mall galleries as part of the RBA Star Students competition. "Felicitas was the winner of our Emerging Artist Award this year, which West Cornwall present annually at Penwith College's Art Student's show held in Penzance. Apparently the successful entries were divided into two groups as the standard of entries was so high (and there were over 200 entries). The first group will be displayed in both galleries, and the second group just at ROSL.

Felicitas is in the first group which we are pleased about as only 20 entries were selected for both galleries." (John McEvoy, Chairman West Cornwall)

MORE SPLENDID YOUNG ARTS WORK FROM CORNWALL BELOW

Young artists form four local secondary schools in and around Liskeard have shown their art in an exhibition organised by The Arts Society Liskeard.

Shown here are the prizewinning works - Top by Ester Huckstep (also shown below receiving her certificate) Left by Jack Stevens (Peoples' award) Right by Aaron Dark (year 10 winner) All the pupils were from years 10 and 11 (15 and 16 year olds) and presentations of certificates were made by The Arts Society, Liskeard at a ceremony in Stuart House, Liskeard.

TRAINING IN THE SOUTH WEST AREA

MAILCHIMP There have been three courses in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall over the autumn period with a total of 25 members participating. More courses are planned for the spring together with mentoring sessions.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING To be announced shortly are area social media training workshops for tuition in ways to promote The Arts Society in your locality by Facebook, twitter, etc. These will be announced by Jo Wymer, Deputy Area Chairman and Area Trainer.

GRANTS AWARDED BY SOUTH WEST AREA IN THE SECOND ALLOCATION OF 2019 (NOVEMBER)

Since the last allocation of grants from the area grant fund, £1,450 has already been given to fund Young Arts projects for the Teignbridge and the Exe (Topsham) societies. In the recent round (closed on 30th November), awards totalling £1200 have been made to The Arts Society Sidmouth and The Arts Society Dartmoor. The Sidmouth grant is to fund part of a project in association with Sidmouth College to provide access for more than fifty selected students to two workshops to provide an arts society activity focussing on well-being and mental health. It is the intention of the whole community of Sidmouth to become a mental health and well-being town with a focus on the arts.

The Dartmoor grant is for a collaborative venture with the Devon Guild of Craftsmen to sponsor a series of workshops at Whipton School in Exeter for children registered as Education, Health and Care plan holders or those identified as in need by the staff. The workshops would be for between 6 - 10 children and will encourage confidence, feelings of self-worth,social and practical skills.

LANDSCAPES OF THE MIND: AN EXHIBITION OF THE ART WORK OF TRISTRAM HILLIER. The Museum of Somerset, Taunton Tristram Hillier RA (1905–1983) was one of the most accomplished and distinctive 20th-century British artists. Painting for many years from a base in Somerset, he created pictures in a uniquely intense and memorable style.

On now until 18th April 2020 ‘Landscapes of the Mind: The Art of Tristram Hillier’ brings together over 50 pictures from private lenders and from national and regional collections. Major works include ‘Variation on the Form of an Anchor’ and ‘La Route des Alpes’ from the collections of Tate Britain and ‘Pylons’ and ‘Quantoxhead’ from National Galleries Scotland. It is the first retrospective of Hillier’s work in more than 30 years. Many of Hillier’s paintings evoke an air of other-worldliness. Incongruous objects and the use of unreal perspectives add a surreal quality. He was part of the Avant Garde modernist group, , led by Paul Nash. Outstanding paintings by Nash, and , lent by Tate Britain, also feature in the exhibition

With every best wish for the festive season from all the South West Area team. David.