The Arts Society

The Arts Society Making the arts mean more to more people

We are a volunteer-led organisation that connects people with the arts and with each other.

We offer highly-rated talks and events across 360 local Societies in the UK and abroad. In 1965 The Chiltern Antiques Group was founded by Patricia Fay and a pioneering group of young woman eager to be educated about the arts. Just a few years later, in 1968, eleven such Societies came together to form the National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS). On 17 May 2017, following

a major rebranding exercise, The Arts Society replaced NADFAS as our operating name. After 50 years, we needed to evolve to keep up with changing times in order to reach out to more people in more places. The Arts Society is now a leading arts education charity with a global network of 360 local Societies, brought together through a shared curiosity for the arts.

Here’s a glimpse of what our local Arts Societies have been up to lately:- Bags filled with art supplies were created by...
10/06/2026

Here’s a glimpse of what our local Arts Societies have been up to lately:
- Bags filled with art supplies were created by The Arts Society Ely for a local food bank, to be distributed to families during school holidays
- The Arts Society St Albans commissioned local artist Andy Steel to create a lighthearted mural on a former butchers’ shop and slaughterhouse, seen here
- The Arts Society Southampton donated £1,500 towards a catalogue for an exhibition of modern British art at Southampton City Art Gallery curated by Arts Society Lecturer David Haycock
- The The Exchange Twickenham a community hub at St Mary’s University, received a grant from The Arts Society Richmond to buy a baby grand piano

…And that’s just a tiny taste of what our members have been up to! Get inspired with more society news in the latest issue of The Arts Society Magazine.

The Arts Society volunteers across the UK play a vital role in preserving, celebrating and sharing the arts within their...
05/06/2026

The Arts Society volunteers across the UK play a vital role in preserving, celebrating and sharing the arts within their local communities. This Volunteers’ Week, we’re saying a heartfelt thank you for all the wonderful work they do.

From supporting heritage projects in museums, historic properties and archives, to diligently recording our shared history in places of worship, to creating Trails of Discovery that help people learn more about their local areas, and supporting arts projects for all ages - our volunteers make it all possible.

After she retired, Jill became a member of The Arts Society Trent Valley. Enjoying the monthly lectures, it wasn’t long before she discovered the opportunity to volunteer.

“I’m a Heritage Volunteer at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, where I work in the Peter Wynne-Thomas Library helping to clean and condition-check books and ephemera, carry out minor repairs, and identify items needing further conservation work. I started volunteering in January and spend a few hours there most Mondays. It’s rewarding to know I’m contributing to heritage conservation, learning new skills, and meeting lovely people, and I’d encourage anyone thinking about volunteering to give it a go.”

Visit our website to find your local Society: https://theartssociety.org/societies

This month marks the 250th birthday of John Constable, born on 11 June 1776. Here’s three things we learnt from our late...
04/06/2026

This month marks the 250th birthday of John Constable, born on 11 June 1776. Here’s three things we learnt from our latest ‘Become an Instant Expert’ newsletter:
- Constable loved unassuming sights, such as ‘willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork’ (as he put it)
- To make everyday scenes of Suffolk seem monumental, he painted on a grand scale, creating what he called ‘six footers’. Seen here is The White Horse (1819)
- After his wife died, Constable’s work became far darker than the sunny landscapes that many associate with him

Each ‘Instant Expert’ is penned by an Arts Society Lecturer as a monthly gift to our members – the latest is by Constable expert Nicola Moorby. Find more in your inbox and in our forthcoming Summer issue, where Moorby picks up the story in print. Find out how to become a member here: https://theartssociety.org/join

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating and thanking our wonderful volunteers for everything they do.Our 300+ Societies...
03/06/2026

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating and thanking our wonderful volunteers for everything they do.

Our 300+ Societies in the UK and abroad are led by dedicated committees of volunteers, whose time, enthusiasm and passion help bring people together through a shared love of the arts. From organising lectures to welcoming new members and planning cultural visits and trips, they help create the friendly communities at the heart of every Society.

Simon became a member of The Arts Society Diss in September 2025 and has recently joined the committee as Co-Chair.

“I would say that your local Arts Society is a great way to expand your knowledge of the arts, often there’s a focus on relatively little known artists or subjects, meaning you can learn something new every time. I was so impressed by the monthly talks that I was moved to offer my help when there was a general request made for people to volunteer as part of the committee. Everyone has been so welcoming and on hand with help and advice and I am looking forward to contributing further.”

We’re always delighted to welcome new members to The Arts Society, including anyone interested in getting more involved with their local Society, or even setting a new one up.

Visit our website to find your local Society: https://theartssociety.org/societies

A message from our President, Hilary Kay, for Volunteers’ Week.Since becoming President in April 2025, I’ve been continu...
01/06/2026

A message from our President, Hilary Kay, for Volunteers’ Week.

Since becoming President in April 2025, I’ve been continually inspired by the passion and commitment of our volunteers across the UK and beyond.

This Volunteers’ Week, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who gives their time, whether you’re running Societies and Areas, supporting local arts projects, creating Trails of Discovery, or helping to record and conserve our heritage in places of worship, museums and historic buildings across the country.

Your time, skills and energy make a real difference. You help preserve, celebrate and share the arts and heritage in communities everywhere - and you are vital to everything we do.

Happy Volunteers’ Week, and thank you.

Find out more about volunteering: https://theartssociety.org/volunteering

For most of us, sight, smell, touch, sound and taste are separate. But for a synaesthete, one sensory pathway triggers a...
27/05/2026

For most of us, sight, smell, touch, sound and taste are separate. But for a synaesthete, one sensory pathway triggers another – letters of the alphabet may have colours; tastes may trigger shapes; and music may create vivid imagery in the mind’s eye.

In the spring issue of The Arts Society magazine, Isabella Smith explores how figures ranging from Wassily Kandinsky and Vincent van Gogh to Beyoncé have harnessed the multisensory magic of synaesthesia.

Seen here is ‘Candle in the Wind (Elton John)’ by artist and synaesthete Jack Coulter, who, with eyes shut, ‘sees’ forms and colours appear in response to sound – then paints these sights.

Did you know we have over 350 local Arts Societies across the UK? Here’s just a glimpse of what our members have been up...
21/05/2026

Did you know we have over 350 local Arts Societies across the UK? Here’s just a glimpse of what our members have been up to lately:

- In Thirsk, primary school children created nature-inspired artworks for display in public spaces at Herriot Hospice, in a project led by Liz Foster of The Arts Society Hambleton.
- A self-guided walk focused on public art in Acton, Hammersmith and Chiswick – a glimpse of which is seen here – was set up to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Arts Society Chiswick. Seen here is the Mosaic House in Chiswick, the home and studio of artist Carrie Reichardt.
- The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK, was given to The Arts Society Wrekin for its many and varied projects in its community.
- The Arts Society Taunton has scanned and categorised a collection of pre-1920s postcards donated to Hestercombe Archive by art historian Jeremy Cooper.

Bravo to all! Find more Society news in the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’ – our gift to our members.

Photo: Maria Wold/Shutterstock

What do artists’ depictions of their mothers reveal? As Whistler’s famous portrait of his mother goes on show at Tate Br...
11/05/2026

What do artists’ depictions of their mothers reveal? As Whistler’s famous portrait of his mother goes on show at Tate Britain in ‘James McNeill Whistler’ (21 May–27 September), Arts Society Lecturer Juliet Heslewood examines such works by artists ranging from Rembrandt to contemporary painter Caroline Walker.

Read on in the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’ – our gift to our members. Find out how to become a member and receive your copy at the link in our bio.

🎨 ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1’, 1871, by James McNeill Whistler. Courtesy Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France. Photo: © Tate, London, 2026

07/05/2026

Did the Industrial Revolution change what we consider Art?

In our latest episode of Artfully Said, Sarah Jaffray (Modern & Contemporary Art Historian) and Marie-Anne Mancio (Arts Historian and Writer) explore the complex history of women in art, challenging familiar myths around “great women artists,” the “girl boss” narrative, and the ways female artists have been written out of the Western art canon.

Through a wide-ranging conversation that moves from Renaissance artists to modern and contemporary figures, they discuss feminism, structural inequality, domesticity, craft, performance art, museum curation and the role of the muse.

Stream Artfully Said now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts https://youtu.be/HRHzuFco2sk?si=MNehEtZCeW4W613S

With two bank holidays this month, what better time to explore some of the exciting exhibitions on show around the UK?Fi...
01/05/2026

With two bank holidays this month, what better time to explore some of the exciting exhibitions on show around the UK?

Find fabulous textile art made by an African American community living in a remote Alabama hamlet in ‘Kith & Kin: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend’ at the American Museum & Gardens in Bath until 21 June.

There’s still just enough time to catch ‘Seurat and the Sea’, the first exhibition devoted to the French painter’s seascapes, at the Courtauld Gallery in London until 17 May.

At V&A Dundee, discover the story of what was once (rather quaintly) called the ‘fashion parade’ in ‘Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show’; until 17 January 2027.

For more inspiration for your spring calendar, dip into the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’ – our gift to our members. Find out how to become a member and receive your copy at the link in our bio.

Pictured: ‘Platform’ (2022) by Essie Bendolph Pettway. Photograph © 2025 ARS, NY and DACS, London

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