Craft: Bead and Wire Jewellery
Learn how to make a necklace and a pair of earrings. Some examples are shown below. We will look at different ideas and techniques for you to create your own unique pieces. No experience needed. All materials provided. Approx £5 … More details …
Craft: Making fabric boxes
We will be learning how to design and make fabric covered boxes using a simple technique based on 19th Century French Cartonnage. No sewing is required and it is suitable for absolute beginners. During the class you will be able … More details …
Maths for the Terrified
Were you bored by maths at school? Did you ever have an interesting maths lesson? Does algebra make you anxious? Are you puzzled by probability? Did you never get the measure of geometry? Do prime numbers perplex you? How can … More details …
Ted Hughes: the early years
After a writing career which spanned over 40 years, Hughes’ literary heritage is not only vast, but covers most genres, including not only poetry, but translations of the works of other poets and prose writers, short stories for children and … More details …
Still Life – a bigger picture
A study day examining the genre of Still Life painting. The emphasis of the day will be allegory, metaphor and narrative. We will follow the development of the Still Life from the Renaissance to the 21st Century and try to … More details …
Reading Paintings: the Restoration
The return of Charles II in 1660 changed English history, literature, and society. This course traces the changing tastes of the day, with a special focus on the links between art and social history. Contains a case study of Sir … More details …
Free verse or playing tennis without a net?
The great American poet Robert Frost said he would ‘as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down’, and yet much of modern poetry could be described as free verse, so how does it work and does … More details …
New Crafts: Fabric Stained Glass for Christmas
Learn a Bondaweb technique, using fusible bias to give the effect of a stained glass window. Choice of designs. The final stitching is done at home and can be done either by hand or machine.
More details ...New Crafts: Festive Needle Felting
Ever fancied learning to needle felt? It’s a wonderfully fun, relaxing and rewarding craft form. Learn how to make these wonderfully Festive Tree Decorations. You will be shown how to organise, shape and sculpt the wool using a specialist barbed … More details …
Making Peace – Keeping Peace
It is of course simplistic to say that history repeats itself. But writing and performing two Great War centenary events for my home community (Axbridge) kept ringing bells and raising questions about our current predicament. In particular, the 2018 Remembrance … More details …
Nature’s other Minstrels
Bird song has long been associated with British poetry, especially in the Romantic period, 1780s to 1820s. This may explain why the nightingale became the most celebrated bird in English verse. The course will focus on poems by Coleridge, Wordsworth, … More details …
Remembering Vaughan Williams
The life-story of this great composer is a chronicle of changing times. His music is the soundtrack of the century – by turns dynamic, reflective, challenging and just plain gorgeous.
More details ...The Road Movie: America and Beyond
The journey/quest plot of the road movie has allowed film makers to explore a wide range of themes: from politics to notions of freedom, from family relationships to gender issues. This study day will look at examples of the genre … More details …
Women in Ancient Rome
This day-school focuses on the women in Roman society including childhood, education, marriage and motherhood. Through contemporary art and literature, we examine their status, both social and legal and also consider a few individual women and the influence they had … More details …
Reading Paintings: Dante to Dada
Explore the links between art and literature, from Dante to Dada. Discover the stories behind famous paintings; meet Paolo and Francesca; find out which Reynolds was “the most discussed British painting of the age.” No experience necessary.
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