Tuesday Mornings10.15am to 12.15pm Community Arts Centre Roaring Meg Stevenage. Starts Tuesday 13th January 2026 10 weeks. Cost £40 Fees to be paid on the first week please. The Private Life Of Plants. Speaker- Tim Parrott. A 5 week course. We welcome back for this half term, Tim Parrott with another of his fascinating series of talks. Plants might seem to be the also-rans of the Natural World, forming merely the backdrop for the charismatic Mammals and Birds which grace our TV screens. But it only takes a slight change of perspective to see Plants in a more realistic light, as organisms which traded the ability to move for a whole range of fascinating accomplishments on which today's biosphere depends. HALF TERM 17th February Great British Comic Artists. 1697 to 1903 Speaker- Martin Attridge. A 3 week course We welcome back Martin Attridge. 24.2.26 William Hogarth, social satirist 3.3.26 James Gillray, Arch Caricaturist 10.3.26 George Cruikshank, Prolific Book Illustrator. GALILEO AND THE TELESCOPE Speaker Tim Parrott 17th March The telescope was the first scientific instrument to extend the human senses. Galileo didn’t invent it, but the one he built for himself was far superior to any available at the time. In 1610 he published a short illustrated book of his astronomical discoveries which galvanised scientists and the public alike, throughout Europe and beyond. SPECIAL EFFECTS IN MUSICALS Speaker Chris Budd 24th March The true pioneers of visual effects in the movies were the musicals. In the glory days of the studio system Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were involved in an artistic arms race to put the most ingenious dance routines on screen. Join writer, teacher, and composer Christopher Budd for an appreciation of blue screens, rotating stages, and two extraordinarily talented men. |
Thursday MorningsStarts Thursday 15th January 2026 10 weeks. Cost £40 Fees to be paid on the first week please. The History of Figures and Portraits. Speaker- James Willis. A 10 week course. HALF TERM 19th February James Willis returns to explore the history of the figure and portraits in a new lecture series. During the first few weeks we will discover the earliest depictions of the human form from prehistoric representations to the 17th century. Continuing our journey through the later centuries will lead us to find out how the portrait developed into new markets and styles until we reach the modern period. The second half of the course will focus on the twentieth century and beyond and the resurgence in interest in portraiture in different media and across different cultures. Lots to see and explore in this ten week, fully illustrated series. truly witness life in |
