The last year has seen a lot of activity in Kettering around the Friends and KDAS joint community project known as ARTworks (a gallery and meeting place in Newlands Shopping Centre ... and if that just came as news to you, you need to pop down and have a look round) ...
The project is entirely volunteer run and, whilst providing an exhibition space for local artists, hopes to raise additional funding through donations to help its main ambitions to support the Gallery and Museum.
Meanwhile an ongoing feature at the art gallery itself has been the very popular film nights ...
And every third Wednesday evening, the Friends host their talks on art and local history topics (here, printmaker John McGowan explains how he works) ...
And exhibition previews remain popular (here, the KDAS annual exhibition)
The Fiends made two excursions to prominent local heritage sites ...
Apethorpe Hall (or Palace, if you follow the modern naming) ... and in August ...
... a rare opportunity to visit Rushton Hall.
The sun also shined for the Museum and Gallery's games event in the gardens (where Friends ran some of the activities) ...
And also on our now regular Cemetery Walks ...
(Friends Chair David Brown leading the August heritage walk in London Road Cemetery)
Evening talks have included how women prortray themselves in art ...
Kettering's connection to the Newlyn School ...
And the wartime art of Henry Moore
(complete with a demonstration of the techniques involved)
Friends of the Art Gallery and Museum have supported the Mayor's Charity events ...
... and lent a hand in Kettering's regular monthly art fairs (Spring to Autumn, on Sundays at Kino Lounge) ...
Not forgetting an outing to Holdenby in July for the Northamptonshire Heritage Awards (where the Museum picked up Best Exhibition for 'Local Treasures' - the British Museum comes to Kettering) ..
(Northampton Heritage Forum Award Winners 2019)
Indeed, Kettering welcomed the Heritage Forum in October, hosting the popular NHF History Day at the Cornmarket Hall
This year saw the annual Open Exhibition and Youth Open move to September ...
(The very popular preview event for the Open Exhibition 2019)
The Winter show at the Gallery had a Scandinavian flavour this year ...
Kettering was at play in the Museum
And the exhbits were constantly refreshed at ARTworks ...
Coming into 2020, the Long Gallery has concentrated on local views both from the Permanent Collection and from local artists working now ...
And 2020 Vision has just opened ... a fantastic collaboration between the Alfred East collection and the Tate. Stunning ... The year to come looks rich indeed.