We are the Huntingdonshire branch of the national Arts Society, whose mission statement is ‘Enriching lives through the Arts’.
We offer a programme of monthly talks – nine a year (Wednesday afternoons, starting at 2.30pm) in the St Ives Corn Exchange.
We also arrange Visits to exhibitions, and other venues of interest, and occasional Study Days.
Our Volunteer Groups include Historic Church Recorders, and, through the affiliated Cambridgeshire Gardens Trust, Garden Heritage Volunteers.
We support ASHYAC (Arts Society Huntingdonshire Young Artists Competition), and its annual exhibition of work at both primary and secondary levels.
And finally, an annual holiday of four or five days duration, in spring or autumn, based at a location in the UK, comprising visits to museums, houses and gardens, cathedrals, etc.
- Please click on the links in the side bar (for mobiles on the menu links) for information on how to find us (Location) and (How to join). The link to the full programme of talks for the current year, 2025-26 is now available through the link on the side.
‘Please note a change to our lecture programme for the coming month of March.
Those of you who came to our AGM last June will remember Chris Owen, and his talk on Henry Moore.
On Wednesday 11th March, he will give a lecture on ‘Surrealism and English Art’.
Surrealism emerged in Paris in the 1920s. Reacting against supposedly rational, civilised values which had failed to prevent the carnage of the First World War, Surrealism promoted a revolution based on the subconscious and the irrational. Its founding artists were mostly European – Dali, Magritte, Ernst, et al. But in 1936, the movement took London by storm. Here, it encountered a culture in which whimsy and fantasy already had a long history. This lecture will explore some of the ways in which the English Surrealist Group influenced artists as diverse as Paul Nash, Eileen Agar and Roland Penrose, as well as its longer term impact on British culture.
Chris Owen studied History of Art at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and taught briefly in the Cambridge University History of Art Department, before embarking on a career lecturing in further and higher education. After academic posts in Leeds and Derby, he joined Anglia Ruskin University as Head of the Cambridge School of Art in 2011. Since retiring in 2019, he has focussed on research into the history of British art’.
Please join us for tea or coffee before the start of the lecture.
2025/26 Arts Society A Level Art Competition
May we draw your attention to the above competition, and urge you to vote for one of our nominated students, five of whom are included in the shortlist of twenty-six?
Towards the end of January’s ‘Monthly Highlights from The Arts Society’, you’ll see ‘Vote for your favourite work of art’, and a link Vote here. Then by clicking on the link to view the enlarged images, you’ll see the name of the student, and which society has nominated him/her, and can cast your vote for one of the five HuntsArts artists.
A date for your diary: the ASHYAC Exhibition and Competition on Saturday 7th March, this year to be held at St. Ivo. May we remind volunteers who are collecting entries to deliver them to St. Ivo between Monday 19th and Wednesday 21st January. Any problems, please contact Rosemary Huckle, our Young Arts Secretary, who will at Wednesday’s lecture be inviting members to sign up as helpers on the 7th March.
Study Day – 25th February 2026
‘The Underground Railroad’
Hemingford Abbots Village Hall PR28 9AH
In the morning (coffee from 10.30am), Carole Pook will talk on ‘Harriet Tubman: her role in the Underground Railroad’.
After lunch, Kay Goddard will speak on ‘The Underground Railroad: Patterned Path to Freedom’
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses that facilitated the escape of enslaved people from the Southern United States to free states, and eventually Canada.These routes were often marked by quilt patterns, which served as a form of communication and navigation for the fleeing people. The quilt codes were used to convey messages about routes, safe houses and strategies for the journey north. These patterns were not only practical for the quilting process, but also held symbolic meanings that helped guide the escapees. The Underground Railroad was a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of those who sought freedom, and the quilt patterns played a crucial role in their journey. The patterns have their heritage in West African fabric designs.
As usual, we will offer morning coffee, a light lunch and afternoon tea.
The cost of the day will be £22.50.
OTHER NEWS
Huntingdonshire Arts Society Church Recorders
Our Volunteer Church Recorders, under the leadership of Pat Hamilton, have completed yet another church record; that of St. John the Baptist, Holywell, has just been received from the printers. Many congratulations to the group.
We are pleased to learn that the new regime at The Arts Society understands the importance to our heritage of this long-standing project, and they are reinstating funding to the volunteer groups, which was removed several years ago.
We hope to have a copy of the record for interested members to inspect at one of our forthcoming lectures.
As you walk in have you noticed the new notelets for sale? They are priced at £1 each (cash only)
NB. We accept no responsibility for the content of any websites that are not under our direct control.
The Arts Society, Huntingdonshire 