Armidale Events

The Many Faces of Margaret Olley: Artist, Sitter and Patron - Anne Harbens (Australia) Margaret Olley was the subject of William Dobell's Archibald winning portrait in 1948 and again in 2011 for Ben Quilty. The studio from her Paddington home is now re-created at the Tweed Regional Gallery in Murwillumbah. Anne Arbens' early career was in biotechnology and business. She is now pursuing a PhD through a Dutch university. Anne has lectured in Australia, the S, in the UK and […]

The Brilliance of Brunel: The man who built the modern world - Ian Swankie (UK) Isambard Kingdom Brunel changed the face of the British landscape with his ground-breaking projects. These included railways, bridges, tunnels, ships and grand buildings such as the magnificent Paddington Station. Brunel merged art with engineering and science and was both pioneer and a revolutionary. A Londoner with a contagious enthusiasm for art and architecture, Ian Swankie, is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall […]

Picture This: Australian new wave films of the 1970s - Zara Dare (Australia) Film production boomed in Australia in the 1970s. Meet Australia's greatest living playwright and discover some of the stars in award-winning movies made during this exciting period of cinematic renaissance. Zara has worked in Australian museums in a variety of roles. She shares her passion for art, history and culture as an Enrichment Speaker, sailing with Regent Seven Seas, Viking, Cunard and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Zara co-authored, […]

Berthe Morisot: Impressionist Innovator - Joanne Rhymer (UK) With her innovative use of colour, fluid brushwork and attention to feeling moments of daily life, Berthe Morisot stands as a defining figure of French Impressionism. Joanne has worked for departments in London galleries and institutions including the Tate, the Hayward Gallery, Sotheby's Institute of Art and the National Portrait Gallery, as well as leading group excursions in the UK and abroad. She is currently a Panel Tutor at the University of […]

An Intimate History of the Art Gallery of NSW - Steven Miller (Australia) The Art Gallery of New South Wales has evolved into a leading international art museum. St3even Miller will delve into the intrigues and the passionate debates, the great talents and the big personalities that have made the Gallery what it is today. Steven's publications include Awakening: Four lives in art, an exploration of the creation of national identity through art, Dogs in Australian Art and the first […]

Is This the Real Life? How writers and artists have challenged our perceptions of reality - Mary Sharp (UK) When Lucy goes through the wardrobe into Narnia, when Harry Potter opens his letter and when Ned takes the red pill, they all discover that the worlds they thought they knew are only part of the truth. From Plato onwards, writers and artists have sought to create other worlds that inspire our imagination. Mary now runs her own company Opening Up Literature […]

Masonry, Manuscripts, Music: An inspirational journey through medieval England - Mark Cottle (UK) This lecture opens a window into the architecture, manuscript illumination and music of medieval England. Born on the Isles of Scilly, Mark has lectured at Exeter College on Medieval and Tudor history, St Mark's & St John's University College, Plymouth and at Bath University on Anglo Saxon and medieval England. Doors open 5.30pm.

The Art of the Japanese Garden: From tradition to modernity - Professor Marie Conte-Helm (UK) The Japanese love of nature has manifested itself in paintings and in the intimate and grand-scale gardens surrounding aristocratic palaces and Buddhist temples, as well as Zen-inspired dry landscape gardens with strikingly symbolic content. Marie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. Marie was awarded an OBE for services to UK-Japan educational and cultural […]

Lee Miller's War: The photojournalism of a combat war photographer through Lee Miller's own words - Antony Penrose (UK) The lecture presents Lee Miller's war photojournalism across Europe. The story is told through extensive use of Lee Miller's own words, et to her own photographs. Antony, who is Lee's son, is the co-director of The Lee Miller Archives and The Penrose Collection at Farley Farm House in Sussex. The movie titled Lee starring Kate Winslet is based on his book The […]

On the Wild Side: Filming creatures great and small: David Attenborough and the National Geographic Pieter de Vries (Australia) Peter will share his techniques for capturing extraordinary images for David Attenborough and the National Geographic. Peter's films have won accolades including Emmys and BAFTAs. His work spans more than 180 countries and territories, filming for organizations like NASA and collaborating with director James Cameron on the exploration of the wreck of the Titanic. Doors open 5.30pm.