Friends evening talk for January: Dr Roy Hargrave

Please note this is on the Friends new regular evening, WEDNESDAY ... so please come along to this special event and hear Sandra de Laszlo on the eminent painter Philip de Laszlo

21st October 2015 - 7:30 Alfred East Art Gallery

all welcome ... £3.00 on the door or free to members of the Friends

NOST is coming (29th August)

Northants Open Studio Trails (NOST) Launch Day

Alfred East Art Gallery & Manor House Gardens

Saturday 29 August, 11am – 4pm

Northants Open Studio Trails (NOST) is the largest visual arts event of its kind in Northamptonshire, launching with a host of activities and entertainment for the family. NOST enables members of the public to see some of Northamptonshire’s finest artworks as artists invite you into their studios to witness first-hand the inspiration and motivation that drives them to create.

Northants Open Studio Trails runs from 1^st until 30^th September, with a central exhibition (featuring a piece of artwork from each participating artist) running from 29^th August until 26^th September at the Alfred East Art Gallery.  Visitors can tour the county visiting studios and exhibitions hosted by artists. Step inside a pottery studio, discuss carving with a stonemason or watch demonstrations of painting, printmaking and traditional crafts.

NOST Launch Event: 29 August

NOST kicks off with a launch event on Saturday 29^th August (11am - 4pm) in the Manor House Gardens with pop up exhibitions, live demonstrations, free drop in workshops and entertainment for all ages, throughout the day.

At the launch event, visitors can enjoy artists’ demos in the Gardens, as well as some free children’s workshops including pottery, mural sticker art and Little Draw, a community drawing project sponsored by Northampton Community Fund; participating children take home a goody bag! For our adult visitors there is the chance to take part in THE BIG PAINT, a collaborative community art project. With materials being sponsored by ColArt, 100 members of the public can show off their talents by painting a section of what will become a much larger painting, which will be hung for the month of NOST in the Gallery.

Guy Holloway, Head of Corporate and Cultural Services at Kettering Borough Council, said: “NOST provides a delightful opportunity for us to look forward to welcoming visitors and showcasing the impressive variety of art across the county.”

Cllr Lesley Thurland, Kettering Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community and Culture, said: “It’s a huge honour for the Alfred East Art Gallery to host the central exhibition for Northants Open Studio Trails and I’m excited for it to begin. The big launch looks set to be a wonderful event for the whole family so make sure you’re there to witness the creative talent across the county.”

FRANK JOWETT PAINTING RESTORATION PROJECT

Jowett, who died suddenly in 1943 was accomplished and well respected and exhibited both locally and in London. Born in Weekley, he lived and worked in Kettering all his life in the shoe trade, initially with his father, and subsequently in Carrington’s Shoe Works. He first lived in Tennyson Road, and he subsequently moved to a house in Bowling Green Road, directly facing the gallery.

Kettering Borough Council has organised a series of events on Saturday 29^th August. There will be a prize draw sponsored by the Friends of the Art Gallery and Museum. This event marks the opening of Northamptonshire Open Studios Trail when local artists invite the public to view their work in the studio settings.

 

The Art Gallery has several works by the late Frank Jowett, and the proceeds from the day will go towards the cost of restoration of two paintings by this acclaimed local artist.

He is buried in London Road cemetery, and the Friends of the Gallery are taking steps to make the grave easier to locate, and would very much like to make contact, through the gallery, with any living relatives of the late Frank Jowett.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/frank-b-jowett

Friends evening talk for July: David Boswell

Ian Addis ... Kettering at Play ... 18th June

Thursday 18th June, Alfred East Art Gallery Kettering

7:30PM (teas and coffees available beforehand) 

£3 on the door or free to members of the Friends of the Art gallery and Museum

(you can join up on the night if you wish)

Wicksteed Park is one of the oldest adventure parks in the country and has played a constant part in the entertainment of the town and its visitors.  Ian Addis looks at the history of Kettering at play ... its people, parks and personalities.  All welcome.  

Friends and Civic Society - Trip to Stowe on the Wold - July 25th

A guided coach trip to Alfred East Country for £18 (£15 for member of the Civic Society or the Friends of the Art Gallery and Museum) ...  Please contact the Chair as on the poster or download and return the response form here, or on the downloads list opposite.

The Art of War ... May's Friends Talk at the Gallery

May's Friends talk at the Gallery is Phil Steele's The Art of War ... in the anniversary year of Agincourt, Waterloo and Gallipoli,  we take a fascinating look how art has depicted military themes across the ages ...

Thursday 21st May, 7:30 pm, Alfred East Art Gallery, Kettering

£3.00 on the door or free to members of the Friends

AGM Review of the Year

Tonight sees

The Friends of Kettering Art Gallery & Museum AGM

7:00 at the Alfred East Art Gallery

(followed by an illustrated talk on the Solomon Islands)

A slide show looking back over a year of events will play while members assemble before the meeting ... here are some of the pictures from our 2014-2015 for you to enjoy:

Following the AGM and John Wilson's talk on the Solomon Islands, the next Friends event will be Phil Steele's talk on warfare as depicted in art through the centuries ... 21st May AEG 7:30

Come along and get involved.  All welcome.