PROGRAMME Membership year 2023/4 Meetings will be held at Barnwell Village Hall and simultaneous Zoom hybrid transmissions will continue to be used at the discretion of the committee. Coffee will be available from 10:00am and the meeting will start at 10:50am. Guests are welcome for a fee of £10, but it is important to contact the Membership Secretary beforehand; drtonyb@icloud.com or 07917 632268. Friday 19th April 2024 This meeting will not be shown on Zoom. Singing in Secret: William Byrd, Queen Elizabeth and Worship under Wraps Sandy Burnett Four hundred years ago in July 1623 saw the death of the outstanding English composer William Byrd; prolific and successful, he was a favourite at the court of Queen Elizabeth. But Byrd led a complicated existence as a devout Catholic in troubled Tudor times, when to infringe strict religious rules ran the risk of imprisonment or even death. Forced underground, he created some of his most expressive music for fellow Catholics to use in secret worship. This talk celebrates the best of Byrd’s awe-inspiring work and reflects on what it means to create superb art in circumstances of great danger. William Byrd. Gerard van der Guch, British Museum. Public domain Friday 17th May 2024 Stamford Raffles - Art collector and discoverer of Singapore Denise Heywood The story of Raffles, a scholar and polymath and the enlightened colonial administrator of Java, Indonesia. In 1804, he discovered the 8th century temple of Borobudur and acquired wondrous artefacts in Java, such as shadow puppets and textiles now in the British Museum. He also founded Singapore, the most important trading port of the East and we see Its revival today with innovative art galleries and museums.  Sir Thos. Stamford Raffles, Engraved by Thompson. Public domain Friday 21st June 2024 Georgia O’Keeffe: Much More than Flowers Arantxa Sardina Georgia O’Keeffe fought every tag- ‘female artist’, ‘flower painter’, ‘wife of’. She just wanted to be acknowledged for what she was: an artist. Her famous flowers were subject to sexual interpretations that she rejected; they were just flowers enlarged so as to make’ even busy New Yorkers take time to see them’. Her partnership with the photographer Alfred Stieglitz gave her a place to be, but she was much more than his creation. She experimented, developed a very personal approach to landscape and finally moved to New Mexico, where she lived in deep connection with nature and the spiritual forces of the desert. In this lecture, we will dive deep into the long and creative life of O’Keeffe, the mother of American Modernism. Lake George Reflection by Georgia O'Keeffe, oil on canvas. Georgia O'Keeffe. Public domain. Last lecture of the 2023/24 membership year Disclaimer: The Arts Society Oundle cannot be held responsible for any personal accident, damage to, or loss or theft of members’ personal property unless there is proven negligence. Legal liability insurance is in force.