We organise lectures, special interest days and outings; we support arts projects in East Herts and we document local church artefacts.
Lectures
We meet every month except July, August and December at the Spotlight in Hoddesdon.
At the meetings, Coffee is served from 9.45 am and the lecture starts at 10.30am and lasts about 1 hour. Non-members are welcome to attend (£8 contribution please).
Membership: Philip Juniper
Special Interest Days
There are normally two Special Interest Days held each year in spring and autumn. The purpose of the day is to explore a subject in more depth than is possible in the one hour monthly lecture with two lectures in the morning and one lecture in the afternoon. The day starts at 10.00 a.m. for Coffee with the lectures starting at 10.30 a.m. Lunch is around 1.00 p.m. The day ends at around 3.00 p.m.
Special Interest Days are normally £30 including coffee and a buffet lunch.
Enquiries: Sue Geddes.
Outings
Outings are either Coach Trips with pick-up points at Hertford (Old London Road, just below the Fire Station) and Hatfield (lay-by on north side of Tesco car park) or "On Your Doorstep” outings where members make their own way to nearby venues. Cost depends on distance travelled and venue.
Enquiries: Robert Bewick
Support of Arts projects
Grants are given to organisations for certain artistic projects. A number of local schools and art societies have been helped by this scheme. See the Volunteering Page/Young Arts, for further information.
Enquiries: Beverley Maunder-Taylor
Church Recording
A team of members record rigorously the contents of our local churches – see the Volunteering Page/Church Recorders for further information
Enquiries: Rosemary Davis
To contact any of the above committee members
please send an email to: info@theartssocietyeastherts.org.uk
History of The Arts Society East Herts
2023
A fully packed year with a steady increase in membership unlike the national trend. The foreign outing was to Istanbul to visit the many mosques and sites of the famous city. Local visites were to Stansted Abbots, the Hockney Interactive Exhibition and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
2022
The society returned to their home, The Spotlight, Hoddesdon and all the activities started up again. There were 9 lectures, 2 Special Interest days, visits to Colubine Hall and the Royal Opera House and a trip to Rome.
2021
Lectures continued on-line until September when face to face lectures restarted. The spotlight remained closed so meetings were held at the Arched Barn in Ware.
2020
After the first two lectures of the year, everything was put on hold due to the pandemic. After a pause of several months, lectures were resumed on-line. These proved to be very successful with a substantial number of members logging in.
2018
The society celebrated its 50th anniversary. The theme of the lectures and a special Summer Lunch celebrated this very special anniversary and there was a birthday cake and sparkling wine served after the October meeting.
2017
The central Arts Society organisation changed its name from NADFAS (National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts) to The Arts Society to reflect a broader interest in the Arts and the fact that it had grown to be an international Association. Members of the East Herts Society voted to follow the lead given by the centre and changed its name from East Herts Decorative & Fine Arts Society to The Arts Society East Herts.
2008
The society celebrated its 40th anniversary with a variety of events, including a dinner, an exhibition of members own artwork and the planting of a copper beech tree in the garden behind the Civic Hall.
1998
The society arranged its first study tour — four days based at Blairquhan in Ayrshire and trips then became a regular feature of its activities. Subsequent visits have been made to Prague, Ravenna, Dublin, Berlin, Florence, Dresden, New York, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and The Hague, Istanbul, Madrid, Normandy, Cracow, Munich/Oberammergau and the south of France.
1985
The society moved to its current venue, The Spotlight, Hoddesdon, which provided ideal facilities for both lectures and Special Interest Days (the revised name for Study Days) and for members to meet socially.
1980s
The idea of themed lectures was introduced, with a series of talks on, for example, the Renaissance. Two seasons were devoted, in their entirety, to the Georgian and Regency periods respectively.
Charitable status was applied for, so that subscriptions could be covenanted. Although covenanting was never instigated, the society did achieve charitable status, and its work in this area was greatly enhanced by being able to claim Gift Aid on subscriptions.
1979
A Church Recording representative and a Voluntary Conservation Corps representative were added to the committee.
1978
The first Study Day took place — a trio of lectures on antique glass — and by this time the society was also running a library.
1972
There was a further move to Mayflower Place in Hertingfordbury.
1970
The lectures were now held in The Priory, Ware and an Outings Secretary was appointed.
1968
The society applied for membership to the National Association (which had been established that same year) and became society number 12. The subscription was £10.10.0d. and there were 140 members.
The inaugural meeting of the NADFAS-affiliated society was held on 8 October in St John’s Hall, Hertford, with a borrowed projector. In the first year, subjects included English Country Houses, Worcester Porcelain and Early Mediaeval Art.
1965
The chance reading of a newspaper article about an arts group, which Patricia Fay had started near Rickmansworth, led to a group of friends getting together to see if something comparable could be established in East Herts. This resulted in a public meeting attended by about 60 people, to which a member of Patricia Fay’s Chilterns group came to speak and explain their format — a lecture once a month, a committee and a subscription to pay for the hall and lecturers.
A committee was elected at that meeting and East Hertfordshire Decorative and Fine Arts Society was born.