2023 Program
Monday, Feb 6 at 6pm
Khayamiya: History of Egyptian Tentmaking
Dr. Sam Bowker (Australia)
Join us for our first ADFAS Coffs Coast arts talk for 2023 with Dr. Sam Bowker. .
From his first encounter with Henri Matisse’s ‘Interior with Egyptian Curtain’ (1948) to the Revolution of 2011, Dr. Sam Bowker’s illustrated talk features unpublished archival photographs and a one night only showcase exhibition of wall hung embroidered appliques.
Khayamiya embroideries were collected as souvenirs by the ANZACs, inspired the paper cut-outs of Henri Matisse and are now an endangered art form in Egypt.
Book here
Monday, March 20 at 6pm
The Parthenon Marbles or How Lord Elgin Gained and Lost His Marbles
Alan Read (UK)
In the two centuries since they were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, the meaning and significance of the ‘Elgin marbles’ has changed dramatically. From architectural decoration to disputed cultural objects.
This lecture looks at the response to them over their time in Britain, from the original controversy over their purchase to the current debate surrounding the restitution of the marbles to the new Acropolis Museum in Athens.
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Monday, April 17 at 6pm
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: The Wicked Poet, Lord Byron
Susannah Fullerton (Australia)
Lord Byron was both famous and infamous for his audacious poetry, his scandalous love life and his devotion to liberal ideals.
Susannah Fullerton recites some of his best-loved poems and tells the story of the colourful, shocking and revolutionary life of one of England’s greatest poets.
Find out just why Byron was considered “mad, bad and dangerous".
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Monday, May 22 at 6pm
Foreigners in London 1520 – 1677
The Artists that Changed the Course of British Art
Leslie Primo (UK)
Why were foreigner painters preferred by the aristocracy in London to native-born English painters, why did foreigners come in the first place, what was their motivation, what was the impact of foreigners in London on English art and art practice, how were they greeted by the native born artist and what did they bring to artistic practice in London?
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Monday, June 19 at 6pm
Frayed at the Edges – Conservation Challenges
Julian Bickersteth (Australia)
Julian Bickersteth has spent the last 30 years conserving some of Australia’s great collections and icons as well as working on international sites such as the historic huts of Antarctica.
This wide ranging and heavily illustrated lecture will tell the stories behind some of these projects and also discuss more broadly some of the challenges of art conservation
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Monday, July 17 at 6pm
Pins and Poking Sticks: Decoding dress in Shakespeare’s time
Jacqui Ansell (UK)
A contemporary of Shakespeare informs us that ‘a ship is sooner rigged by far than a Gentlewoman made ready’. In The Winter’s Tale Autolycus peddles ‘pins and poking sticks of steel’, seductive smocks, perfumed gloves, bugle beads and other irresistible items. What were these objects and what was their role in the ‘art’ of dress? Moral messages and secretive signals in emblematic jewellery and embroidery contributed to Elizabeth I’s image as the ‘Virgin Queen’. Elizabethan and Jacobean portraits will be explored, to enable us to decode the dress worn by the courtly elite, and their monarchs.
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Monday, August 21 at 6pm
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: The Golden Age of Mexican Painting
Chloe Sayer (UK)
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego Rivera (1886-1957) have iconic status in Mexico. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 swept away the old régime and banished European influence in the arts. Kahlo and Rivera helped to shape the cultural identity of twentieth-century Mexico. Compared with the monumental scale of Rivera’s work, Kahlo’s work is small in format.
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Monday, September 18 at 6pm
Edgar Degas: Painting the Darker Side of Life
Kathy McLauchlan (UK)
Many stories are told about Degas, his attitudes and his work. This talk seeks to unpick myth from reality, pointing out the strange, even contradictory nature of Degas’ work. We concentrate on portraits and domestic scenes from the 1860s, quite early on in Degas’ career, when he was still in search of an artistic identity.
Is there a logical explanation for these unsettling compositions, or is Degas engaged in an elaborate game with his viewers?
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Monday, October 23
What Did the Greeks & Romans Ever Do for Art?
Gillian Hovell (UK)
Ancient Greek art blossomed and then the Romans took that art – the sculpture, frescoes, vase painting, architecture and so much more – and made it their own. New media, new styles and new expressions burst forth, and this vibrant cocktail created the basis for Western Art for millennia. Just what did those Greek and Roman artists achieve that was so world-changing? This talk explores how and why we owe so much to the ancient Greeks and Romans.
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Monday, November 20 at 6pm
The Mystery of Kimberley Rock Art
Dr. June Ross (Australia)
The beauty and scope of Kimberley rock art is universally acknowledged. Theories have been proposed to explain the content and stylistic changes evident in the art; some far flung and seemingly plucked from the air and others based on decades of data collection. I focus on explanations for the stylistic changes evident in Kimberley rock art and the roles art played in mediating the dynamic social and environmental changes faced by past Aboriginal societies.
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TestimonialsT
Leonie and Philip (6 Feb 2023)
Thank you so much for organizing such an excellent evening! Great speaker, great presentation, well structured event…and lovely to catch up with new and old friends.
Great achievement.