Bradford on Avon Arts Association aims to encourage the enjoyment of all things artistic, especially fine and applied arts, sculpture, architecture and literature.
The Association also supports other local organisations.
Regular coach visits are organized to galleries, exhibitions and other places of interest.
A quarterly newsletter keeps members in touch with forthcoming events.
Forthcoming Events
March 2019
Oxford
Oxford is such a compact city, with so much to offer visitors, that it’s not surprising it is always a very popular visit for the Arts Association. Our arrival and departure point is the famous Ashmolean museum and art gallery which is ideally situated for the city centre and in easy walking distance of numerous places of interest.
Find out more »April 2019
The Arundells of Wardour: Six Centuries of a Wiltshire Family — Barry Williamson
Barry Williamson, a history teacher who grew up in a village on the edge of the Wardour estate, will tell us of the turbulent history of this family. Tudor opulence and military catastrophe in the Civil War were followed by the building of a huge Georgian mansion next to the old castle and a spectacular bankruptcy. The last Lord Arundell died in 1944 on his return from German prison camps. Barry has subtitled his talk "Chasing Red Herrings". The process…
Find out more »May 2019
The Methodist Modern Art Collection: its History and Purpose
The Crucifixion (William Roberts 1895-1980) being hung for the ‘Fully Alive’ Exhibition of the Collection in Bath Abbey, September, 2016 Well known to us as a member of the Arts Association, Bob will deliver a fully illustrated talk on the history and evolution of this unique art collection. Bob was for ten years on the Board of Management Trustees of the Collection as Secretary to the Friends Group, and is still, currently, the Editor of the Friends Newsletter. Do come…
Find out more »Exbury
Book by date: 9 April (Booking opens for non-members of Arts Association 17 December) Exbury's beautiful woodland garden covers 200 acres and is a jewel in the heart of the New Forest National Park. Created by Lionel de Rothschild in 1919, it is a spectacular garden offering natural beauty and horticultural variety on the edge of the Beaulieu River. This amazing garden offers a delight of rhododendrons, azaleas, bluebells and wisteria especially in the months of Spring. The popular Exbury…
Find out more »June 2019
‘Oil Paint and Grease Paint’; the life and work of Dame Laura Knight RA — Megan Jones
Laura Knight (1877-1970) was one of the leading painters of her generation, a figurative artist who embraced English impressionism. Many of her most popular paintings reflect the backstage world of performance – circus, ballet and theatre – capturing performers in fleeting, intimate moments. During the Second World War she was the only female war artist, painting the Nuremberg trial in 1946. Laura Knight was the first woman elected to full membership of the Royal Academy, and her success in the…
Find out more »July 2019
Fresh Air at Quenington and Stow on the Wold
Photograph: “Swingbridge” at Quenington Old Rectory, © Oliver Dixon Quenington Fresh Air is a biennial festival showing sculpture and other works of art by contemporary artists in the beautiful Old Rectory Garden of David and Lucy Abel-Smith in the Cotswold village of Quenington, near Fairford. This is a prestigious event and offers a wonderful chance to appreciate the skills of living artist craftsmen and women. You can look up details on Google. There is an opportunity for 25 people to…
Find out more »