The Arts Society Dukeries meets on the first Wednesday of most months, offering members a lecture on a specific art topic. The upcoming programme features a range of engaging lectures as well as social gatherings, special interest days, and trips to local events and theatres, including a Gilbert and Sullivan production at Buxton Opera House. Members also enjoy regular newsletters and a national magazine.
The Society meets at the Civic Centre, Long Lane, Carlton-in-Lindrick, S81 9RE. Refreshments are available from 10.00am; notices are read at 10.50am, and talks around roughly 11.00am to 12.00pm. There is free car-parking. Visitors are welcome, paying at the door. For more information visit www.theartssociety.org/Dukeries or contact Caroline on 01909 531614.
The next lecture will be held on Wednesday 4th December. Speaker Colin Schindler will present Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, and the Forgotten Genius of Frank Capra. This lecture will delve into the work of one of America’s great filmmakers, exploring how Capra’s films – although set in contemporary America – captured an idealised vision of rural life. The talk will contextualise his work within Jeffersonian democracy and discuss why his portrayal of small-town America resonated strongly during the Great Depression.
Capra won the Oscar for Best Director three times in four years for It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and You Can’t Take It with You (1938). Although Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) is regarded as one of his best, it was overshadowed by Gone with the Wind. The lecture will conclude with a thought-provoking discussion on the relevance of Capra’s America in today’s society, particularly in light of recent shifts in American culture.
After the Christmas break, the Society will reconvene on Wednesday 5th February for the AGM and the year’s first lecture, The Legendary Lee Miller. This talk will explore the life and work of Lee Miller, with insights from her son and biographer. The presentation covers historical and social aspects of art and photography and includes some wartime images, which may be unsettling for some viewers.
Church trails
The Society also engages local communities by creating trails for villages, churches, and historic buildings. Three trails have been developed for Tickhill, each available to the public and highly popular.
The newest trail is at St Anne’s Church in Worksop, built in 1912 and funded by local benefactor Sir John Robinson. During the recent launch, Year 3 pupils from St Anne’s C of E Primary School explored the trail and discovered hidden details they had not previously noticed, including a carved ‘mouse’ on the altar rails by Robert ‘Mousey’ Thompson, a dog within the alabaster reredos, and a White Ensign flag on display, used at the Cenotaph in Whitehall for Remembrance Sunday in 1927.
The trail is open for public use at the church and is available for download via notices at the church.