The Arts Society

14/09/2026

Did you know that the Bayeux Tapestry is not actually a tapestry at all? 🤯

In our latest issue, David Musgrove – co-author, with Michael Lewis, of ‘The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry’ – unpicks what makes the 68-metre-long embroidery so extraordinary.

In case you missed it: the Bayeux Tapestry is returning to England for the first time since its creation nearly 1,000 years ago. It will be at the British Museum from September 2026–July 2027.

🧵 Seen here is a detail from the famous 11th-century work, which is usually housed in the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in Normandy. Photo: © Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux

08/09/2026

With more than 300 Arts Societies across the UK and beyond, there’s always something going on. Here’s a small glimpse at some of the community and arts projects supported by our Societies.

🟠 The Arts Society Salisbury match funded by The Arts Society Wessex Area supported conservation of a 6.5-metre-high stained-glass window by Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones at Salisbury Cathedral, seen here

🟠 Members of The Arts Society Sandwich and The Arts Society Dover, Deal and Sandwich have been volunteering at Goodnestone Park Mansion in Kent

🟠 The Arts Society Wycombe funded an arts project at a school for young people with disabilities, while a Society volunteer created an exhibition for parents and carers
Get inspired by more news in the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’, our gift to our members.

Seen here is head glazier Sam Kelly examining Salisbury Cathedral’s Burne-Jones window pre-restoration. Photo: Finnbarr Webster

26/08/2026

‘The List’ is your essential update of events and openings this summer – a new feature we’ve debuted in the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’.

To whet your appetite, here’s one of those need-to-know items: the 300th anniversary of what’s often called ‘the UK’s Sistine Chapel’.

The artist James Thornhill completed the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich three centuries ago – its breathtaking Baroque interiors took him 19 years to finish. Why not celebrate its tercentenary with a visit?

Get more ideas in the summer issue of the magazine – our gift to The Arts Society’s members. To join, head to our website.

18/08/2026

What better way to enjoy the holidays than with the wealth of arts happenings taking place nationwide. Here are just a few highlights:

🔴 Celebrate the 100th birthday of Norma Jeane with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery exhibition ‘Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait’
🔴 Head to the UK’s largest annual festival of visual arts: Edinburgh Art Festival (14–30 August)
🔴 Explore the glittering new Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, an arts venue in Oxford that hosts exhibitions, concerts, lectures and more

Pick up the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’ – our gift to our members – for more summer inspiration. Head to our website to find out how to join.

Pictured: ‘Marilyn Monroe, Ballerina Sitting’, 1954, by Milton H Greene. Milton H Greene © MHG Collective, LLC

10/08/2026

‘Constable made it his life’s mission to share the beauty he saw through his art, and it was summer that formed the seasonal setting for his most famous works.'

In the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’, Nicola Moorby explores how Constable captured fleeting moments in nature – and how grief darkened his palette as a painter.

In the mood for more? Visit ‘The Hay Wain: Walking Constable’s Landscape’ at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich Museums, until 4 October, and ‘Gainsborough, Turner & Constable: Inventing Landscape’ at Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, until 11 October.

🎨 ‘Seascape Study: Boat and Stormy Sky’, 20 July 1828. Royal Academy of Arts. Photo: Alamy

🎨 ‘Self-portrait’, 1806, Tate. Purchased 1984. © Tate. Photo: Tate

04/08/2026

Beach reading needn’t be mind-numbing… Get your holiday packing sorted with our pick of the latest books on art and culture, inside our summer issue.

Among the highlights is ‘Knife-Woman: The Life of Louise Bourgeois’ by Marie-Laure Bernadac (translated by Lauren Elkin), out now with Yale Books. This new title tells the tale of the painter, printmaker and sculptor, who once said – unforgettably – ‘I have been to hell and back. And let me tell you, it was wonderful.’

For more inspiration, see the latest issue of ‘The Arts Society Magazine’, our gift to our members. Head to our website to find out how to join.

Seen here is the cover of Bernadac’s book, plus ‘Maman’ (1990) by Louise Bourgeois, at the Guggenheim Bilbao. 📸 © Louise Bourgeois 2001. Photo: © Kamahele, CC-BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons

29/07/2026

Not every city can boast of 2,000 years of history within its ancient walls – but York certainly can.

In our newest issue, The Arts Society York and The Arts Society Ebor tell us what not to miss in the storied city – from the ever-popular Jorvik Viking Centre, which promises a step back in time to the 10th century, to the outstanding ceramics collection at York Art Gallery.
They also share delights to be found a little further afield in Yorkshire, such as the Baroque masterpiece Castle Howard and the ultra-contemporary Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Read on in the Summer issue of magazine – our gift to members. To join, head to our website.�

29/07/2026

A very warm welcome to our newest Travel Affiliate and National Sponsor of The Arts Society, Success Tours!

This partnership will officially start in September, with further details outlined in upcoming Arts Society email newsletters and in our Magazine.

Read our official press release here:

We are delighted to annouce that Success Tours is now a Travel Affiliate and National Sponsor of The Arts Society

27/07/2026

‘Sculpture is an art of the open air. Daylight, sunlight, is necessary to it, and for me its best setting and complement is nature.’ – Henry Moore, 1951 🌿

The sculptor might as well have been talking about two of this summer’s must-see exhibitions…

‘Henry Moore: Monumental Nature’ – the largest-ever outdoor exhibition of his work – is at Kew Gardens in London until 31 January 2027. Catch ‘Henry Moore and more’ at Kew’s wilder site, Kew Wakehurst in Sussex, until 23 May 2027.

Seen here is Family Group (1948–49), beautifully at home in its natural setting.

📷 Ines Stuart-Davidson © RGB Kew