The Arts Society Dukeries meets at Carlton Civic Centre on the first Wednesday of most months for a lecture on a specific art-related topic. A variety of exciting lectures are planned for the 2025 programme. In addition to these social gatherings and lectures, members can enjoy extra Study and Special Interest Days, holidays with the Society, and trips to local events and theatres – including a Gilbert and Sullivan production at Buxton Opera House. Members also receive newsletters and a national magazine.
Wednesday 7th May
What Have the Huguenots Ever Done for Us? Mass Migration and the Arts in Britain – Vivienne Lawes
The mass migration of French Protestant Huguenots in the 16th and 17th centuries significantly impacted the arts, military, and financial sectors of the countries where they settled after fleeing Catholic persecution. It is estimated that upwards of 50,000 Huguenots settled in the British Isles, and that as many as one in six of today’s population may descend from Huguenot lineage.
Wednesday 4th June
The Borgias: The Most Infamous Family in History – Sarah Dunant
Murder, poison, corruption, and incest – all ingredients for sensational popular culture. But in a time known for brutality and church corruption, were the Borgias truly the worst? This lecture explores the family that dominated the Papacy and Italian politics at the end of the 15th century: Pope Alexander VI and his lavishly decorated apartments; his son Cesare – cardinal, general, employee of Leonardo da Vinci, and the inspiration for Machiavelli’s The Prince; and Lucrezia Borgia, whose journey led from ‘the greatest whore in Rome’ to a devout Duchess of Ferrara.
The Society meets at the Civic Centre, Long Lane, Carlton-in-Lindrick, S81 9AP. Tea and coffee are available from 10.00am, providing time for socialising before the lecture, which runs from 11.00am to approximately 12.00pm, depending on questions. There is free car parking available.
Members pay an annual subscription and visitors are welcome, paying on the door.
For more information, please contact Caroline on 01909 531614. Full details can also be found at www.theartssociety.org/Dukeries.