Detailed Programme of Lectures 2021-2022
NEXT LECTURE
18th May 2022
Lecturer:
Harry Venning
The Art of the Cartoonist
In 'The Art Of
The Cartoonist' Harry will be tracing the history of his profession
with examples from early practitioners like Cruickshank and Hogarth,
to more contemporary artists such as Giles and Schulz, bringing
events right up to date with cartoons produced fresh on the page
that day! Yes, Harry will be drawing live. Prepare to hear some
tricks of his trade, learn where to put eyebrows for maximum effect
and discover exactly what the eskimo brothers said in The Funniest
Joke Ever (possibly).
Harry Venning

Harry has been a professional
cartoonist for thirty years, during which time he has provided
cartoons for several high profile UK publications (The Guardian,
Radio Times) as well as for countless more obscure titles (British
Journal Of Wound Care). He was awarded UK Strip Cartoonist of The
Year for his Guardian strip Clare In The Community, which he adapted
into a Radio 4 sitcom
The Remainder of Lectures 2022
15th June 2022
Lecturer:
Sarah Burles
Kettle’s Yard: A Masterpiece of
Curatorship
Kettle’s Yard in
Cambridge has been described as “one of the country’s most intimate
and spellbinding museums, the collection of one man and his unerring
eye; restorative, homely yet life-changing”. This man was H.S. ‘Jim’
Ede, curator, writer, collector and friend to artists. In1957, he
opened his Cambridge home to university students as “a living place
where works of art could be enjoyed… unhampered by the greater
austerity of the museum or public art gallery.” His collection
included works by Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Christopher Wood,
Alfred Wallis and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska which were carefully placed
alongside pieces of furniture, ceramics and natural objects. His
curated home remains by and large as he left it, characterised by
its unique atmosphere, fascinating juxtapositions and personal
connections. This lecture will discuss the life of Jim Ede, his
collecting, his vision for Kettles Yard and its enduring legacy.
Sarah Burles
Sarah studied History of Art at
Cambridge University before doing a master’s degree at University
College London. She went on to have a career in museum and gallery
education, establishing new services in three different museums
before working at the Fitzwilliam Museum for many years. Sarah is
the founder of Cambridge Art Tours, which runs tours and courses in
and around East Anglia. She is also a Tour Director for a travel
company and has led tours to Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and
America. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah moved
her work online, offering art history courses to audiences all over
the world.
20th July 2022
Lecturer:
Tessa Boase
The Housekeepers Tale: The Women Who Really Ran the English Country
House
As the most senior of
upper servants, the housekeeper typically carried a family’s secrets
with her to the grave. She ran the English country house, controlled
its female servants and conserved its many treasures – and yet she
has not been remembered history. Using old letters, secret diaries
and neglected archives, Tessa has resurrected a series of
fascinating stories from 19th and 20th century domestic service, at
some of our most prominent households. The lecture sets this role in
its historic context, looks at some of the individual stories
uncovered, then focuses more deeply on an individual housekeeper’s
tale.
Tessa Boase
Tessa is a freelance lecturer for The
Arts Society along with other organisations such as the V&A, English
Heritage and the National Trust. She’s the author of two books of
social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale – The Women Who Really Ran
the English Country House, and Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather –
Fashion, Fury and Feminism, Women’s Fight for Change. Her interest
lies in uncovering stories of invisible women of the Victorian and
Edwardian eras, revealing how they drove industry, propped up high
society and manipulated politics. Tessa has an MA in
English Literature from Oxford University, a diploma in Art History
from the British Institute of Florence, and has enjoyed a long
career in journalism for national newspapers and magazines.
21st September 2022
Lecturer: Richard Burnip
The Flashman Stories and
the Film Screenplays of George Macdonald Fraser How the
author deployed his impeccable sense of history and feel for
character in print and on screen.
Best known for his Flashman
series of novels, George MacDonald Fraser possessed a
remarkable ear for the voices of the past, and a huge
knowledge of, and affection for, popular literature and
cinema. From his comic stories of military life based on his
own experiences in the Gordon Highlanders, to his nimble and
vivid scripts for the 1970s Three Musketeers films, this
lecture looks at the way in which Fraser dovetailed fiction
with history in his novels and brought a unique perspective
to his film work.
Richard Burnip
Richard took a BA Hons in English
Language and Literature from the University of Manchester,
followed by an acting diploma at the Birmingham School of
Speech and Drama. He combines acting, writing and
lecturing. He has lectured in many venues including the
National Army Museum and the Museum of London, and is
currently presenting a variety of virtual lectures online.
Richard has contributed to, among others, The Journal of
Popular Film and Television, The Sherlock Holmes Journal,
and the P G Wodehouse journal Wooster Sauce. A specialist in
voice work, he has narrated numerous documentaries and 150
audiobooks.
19th October (TBC) 2022
Lecturer: Rupert Dickens
Norman Rockwell and the
Heyday Of the Illustrator
Norman Rockwell’s folksy images of middle America were
dismissed for decades by art critics as over-sentimental and
banal. But his reputation has soared in recent years as a
new generation comes to appreciate his humanity and
inventiveness and he is revered by film directors George
Lucas and Steven Spielberg for his brilliant storytelling.
At their best, his paintings reconcile midwestern values
with progressive ideals and artistic traditionalism with
optimism about the modern world. This lecture traces the
roots of Rockwell’s art through his immediate predecessor
and idol J.C. Leyendecker, back to the 19th century work of
Winslow Homer and Howard Pyle.
Rupert Dickens
Rupert Dickens is an art historian based in south London
with a special interest in Dutch and Flemish 16th and 17th
century painting. He works at the Wallace Collection as a
guide conducting public and private tours and lecturing on
aspects of the collection. Rupert is also a tour director
for a Cambridge-based company accompanying groups on
art-themed tours to the Netherlands, Belgium, France,
Austria and Italy. He has lectured to large audiences on
subjects as diverse as the game of chess in art and Madame
de Pompadour’s artistic patronage in 18th century France. He
studied art history at Birkbeck College before undertaking a
Masters in Dutch Golden Age Studies at University College
London. Before that Rupert had a 26-year career as a BBC
journalist and finally as an editor in radio news.
16th November 2022
Lecturer: Anna Warrillow
History Of The City Of
London As Told Through Its Stained Glass
The history of the
City of London is a long and illustrious one, from Medieval
plague to the Great Fire of London to the Blitz of the
Second World War, we encounter stories as well as known
personalities such as Dick Whittington, Geoffrey Chaucer and
William Shakespeare. The churches, Halls and civic buildings
of the City house some of the most interesting stained-glass
windows, each of which tells its own part of London’s story.
Many of them have withstood the ravages of the Second World
War and can chart their history back to the early
foundations of the City. We shall be tracing the story of
the City of London through its glass windows. Enjoy a
fascinating journey through the streets of London to
discover its hidden gems and learn about some of the best
19th, 20th and contemporary stained-glass windows in London.
Anna Warrillow
Anna graduated as a
Blue Badge Guide early in 2013 and won an award for the best
new guide at Westminster Abbey. Since then she has been
conducting bespoke private tours for discerning visitors to
London. She established her own guiding company Canvas and
Stone Tours in 2018 (www.canvasandstonetours.co.uk). Her
background and passion is Art & History. She studied for my
BA in History of Art & Italian at the University of Sussex
and did her MA in Renaissance Decorative Arts & Design at
the Royal College of Art. She worked for 6 years as a
curator in the Sculpture Department at the Victoria & Albert
Museum as well as in smaller collections such as the Henry
Moore Family Trust. As well as guiding she is an adjunct
lecturer at Richmond The American International University
in London where she teaches undergraduates The History of
London. She lectures regularly for art, history and
academic societies as well as providing training courses and
Continual Professional Development courses for students and
guide members of the Institute of Tourist Guides.
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