Classical Greece
What have the Greeks done for us? In many ways, classical art and architecture form the basis of modern civilisation. This course analyses ancient Greek culture, from the Trojan war to the Elgin marbles.
More details ...The Art of Spain: Faith, Love and Conflict
A brief overview of Spain’s artistic history, focusing on the paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. The focus will be on Faith and Conflict but many more ideas will surface during the day. We will explore the … More details …
New Crafts: Soapmaking
An informative and practical workshop – explore the history of soap, its ingredients and make a batch to take home. This workshop will cover the history of soap and look at ingredients that go in to handmade artisan soap. We … 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 … More details …
Painting and Film in the 20th Century
Film is regarded as the main visual art form of the 20th Century; it has had a close relationship to painting from its very beginning. This study day will take a look at how the influence of painting on film … More details …
Looking after No 1
A positive, constructive, practical workshop explaining the basics of good physical and mental health, what we can do and how, including:- • what is health and benefits of health • the immune system – what it does and how to … More details …
Wild Girls in Paris
Colette, Romaine Brooks, Gertrude Stein—this course explores Paris and some of its famous female inhabitants. It will feature a case study of the bohemian muse, including Kiki of Montparnasse and the notorious Marchesa Casati.
More details ...Great Art – Great Literature
How have some of the best minds responded to art? This course examines a series of great artworks—from Brueghel to French Impressionism—then analyses some of the literature written in response.
More details ...Bird Poems of the Romantic Poets
The bird is traditionally an image of the poetic voice and, as such, held much appeal for poets of the Romantic period. We shall read about the nightingale and the skylark, of course, but also the snipe and the owl, … More details …
Masters of the Western: John Ford vs Howard Hawks
John Ford and Howard Hawks were, arguably, the greatest directors in the history of the western genre. However, their themes and styles varied considerably: Ford’s central concerns were the family and community while Hawks’s heroes tended to be self-reliant individuals. … More details …
New Crafts: Needle Felting
A Needle Felting workshop to make spring lambs and decorated Easter eggs You will be taught the basic principles of Needle Felting and shown how to organise, shape and sculpt the wool into a recognisable form. Suitable for beginners. … More details …
The I Ching
An introduction to the I Ching as a tool for personal development. The I Ching is a 2500 year old Chinese classic. It has been developed from its original purpose as an oracle to become recognised as a work of … More details …
Art in America
How does America see its self and how do we see America? A study day which takes a look at American Art and questions what we see and what we are shown. Works by several artists will be looked at … More details …
‘Deeds not Words’: The Suffragette Movement and my Lancashire Grandmother
Jane Crozier will talk about the Suffragettes through the experiences of her grandmother, ‘Red Nellie’, who, as a militant from Preston, was arrested for throwing stones through windows, twice went on hunger strike and was force fed in Holloway prison. … More details …
Merchants and Adventurers
Merchants and Adventurers: Life in the Tudor port of Bristol and beyond. Who were some of the important people behind its rise to fame ……And how did it go on to even ‘greater’ things? Bristol has been an important sea … More details …