Canterbury Decorative & Fine Arts Society (CADFAS)

Founded in 2001, CADFAS (Canterbury Decorative and Fine Arts Society) was the first NZ overseas member society of The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS) in the UK. The success of the Society is built on the high quality of the monthly lectures which are given by lecturers of proven ability who are specialists in their field and are endorsed by The Arts Society. CADFAS is twinned with both the Harrogate and Brisbane River Societies.

CADFAS Programme Details

The lectures are held in the Charles Luney Auditorium, St Margaret’s College, 12 Winchester Street, at 7.30 pm on a Monday evening. They last approximately one hour and wine and sandwiches are served afterwards. Guests of current CADFAS members are most welcome ($25.00 per guest) and $15 for visiting members of other New Zealand DFAS Societies but we would appreciate their names in advance so name tags may be prepared. Please phone or text Jan Rutherford 027 227 7149 or Libby Harrop 027 473 0028.

OUR 2023 PROGRAMME

We have continued to be challenged by Covid-19 and the border situation, however in 2022 we were able to deliver a full programme of eight Society lectures to members, either gathered at the venue or online at home. Additional online topics were also offered for home viewing.

In 2023, we return more to normal with a mix of accredited The Arts Society lecturers from the UK, and one New Zealand and one Australian based lecturer – most will be with us in person with just a couple by live broadcast. We hope that things will run smoothly but will be ready to adapt our programme arrangements if necessary. We will continue to deliver lectures directly to members at home if any gathering restrictions should require it.

Membership

Our subscription for 2024 is $140.00 per person. Subscription notices are sent out in October and are payable by 31^st October.

Returning members:  Please make payment by internet banking and ensure you include your last name and initials in the Reference field.
If you have changed any contact details please complete the CADFAS Membership Form 2024 and return to :  canterburydfas@gmail.com

New Members:  Please download the CADFAS Membership Form 2024 then complete and make your payment according to the directions on the form.

Canterbury – 2023 Lecturer Biographies and Topics

Geoffrey Edwards

Canterbury Lecture Date : MOnday 6 March 2023 – 7.30pm

Geoffrey Edwards was Director of the Geelong Art Gallery, one of Australia’s oldest and largest regional galleries.   Prior to this appointment, he held Senior Curatorial positions at the National Gallery of Victoria where he was in charge of the collections of International and Australian sculpture and Melbourne’s celebrated holdings of ancient, antique and modern glass. His professional affiliations, here and abroad, are extensive and include, amongst others, the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, Visions Australia, the International Councils of Museums [ICOM], Craft Australia, Museums Australia [Victoria], the Winston Churchill Trust [he is a former Churchill Fellow], the George Baldessin Trust and the National Trust of Australia [Victoria]. He is the author of various monographs, numerous exhibition catalogues and contributes to journals in Australia, Japan, Britain and the US.

FROM MIAMI TO MERRICKS – THE RISE AND ROLE OF THE MODERN SCULPTURE PARK

As one of the oldest art forms, monumental sculpture has been presented in spectacular outdoor settings since antiquity. The princely estates of Renaissance and Baroque Europe were populated with marble nymphs and classical deities. Major art museums throughout the world feature large-scale sculpture in their gardens and courtyards. But the idea of a park or garden conceived expressly for the display of sculpture is essentially a modern phenomenon. From Miami to Merricks is an account of the creation from the mid-twentieth century onwards of public and private sculpture parks in Europe, the US and Japan including more recent and remarkable examples in New Zealand and Australia.

Marc Allum

Canterbury Lecture Date : Monday 3 April 2023 – 7.30pm

Marc Allum is a freelance art and antiques journalist, writer and broadcaster based in Wiltshire. He is shortly to begin his 23rd year as a specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow and has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes. Marc regularly writes for mainstream magazines and is an author, antiques consultant and lecturer. He also runs a fine art valuation and consultancy service. Marc has his own unique style with interests ranging from pre-history to modern design and is a self-confessed collectaholic. He has a passion and reputation for divining the unusual through ‘a desire to connect with history through the interpretation and pursuit of objects and their origins’. Marc has lectured widely for many years to a number of different organisations in both the public and charity sector, including travel companies, The National Trust, The WI and many literary festivals including Cheltenham, Bath, Wells and Petworth. Marc is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

THE ANTIQUES ROADSHOW – 40 YEARS OF GREAT FINDS

Marc Allum has been a ‘miscellaneous’ specialist on the BBC’s flagship Antiques Roadshow for 21 years. His personal insight and experience of the show and his knowledge of the world of art and antiques, makes him well-placed to talk about the many great discoveries over the past four decades. Together with his ‘anniversary’ book (Co-authored by Paul Atterbury) Marc explains the many facets of working with great objects, wonderful stories and excited owners. A must for all fans of Antiques Roadshow.

Karin Fernald

Canterbury Lecture Date : Monday 15 May 2023 – broadcast live from the UK – 7.30pm

Karin is known for her entertaining lectures on writers and diarists connected with the arts from the mid-18th to 19th century and moving forward in time with Virginia Woolf. Extensive research into diaries and letters bring lectures to vivid life. Karin illustrates them with slides of contemporary pictures and portraits from varied sources.

THE BLUE HOUR: PAINTING THE NORTH

From late medieval times artists from the north have visited Italy in search of classical inspiration, not to mention prestige. “But why always Italy?” asks one 19th century Swedish artist, “Doesn’t our northern nature reflect eternity? Does not our gaze embrace the sky as well – and what a sky!” In Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen visits the little town of Skagen in the north of Jutland, a place of sand, storms and sky; describes it vividly and inspires artists to paint its wild and remote landscape where the North Sea meets the Baltic. Artists include a local girl, gifted Anna Ancher, whose personality and paintings are both compared by a contemporary artist to “a burst of sunshine”. In Sweden, symbolist landscape artist Prince Eugen, youngest son of King Oscar II, finds romantic inspiration in the lakes, forests, history and vivid folk art of Dalecarlia in central Sweden. Both Danish and Swedish landscape paintings feature the Blue Hour, that half hour or so just after sunset and before sunrise, when the landscape is suffused with a bluish light, highly atmospheric and iconic of the North.

Note: With her online lecture circuit, Karin will be delivering eight unique lectures to all the NZ Societies so there is an opportunity to view additional topics from home. Details and links will be sent in advance.

Leslie Primo

Canterbury Lecture Date : Monday 26 June 2023 – 7.30pm

Leslie Primo holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London. Was Visiting Lecturer in Art History at the University of Reading in 2005 and 2007, gave lectures and guided tours, plus special talks, at both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery for 18 years. Currently he lectures at the City Literary Institute, Imperial College, London, and has presented a series of talks at the National Maritime Museum and the Courtauld Institute.

DIDO ELIZABETH LINDSAY BELLE: BRITISH PAINTING AND THE BEGINNINGS OF ABOLITION

In the late 18th century, Britain led the way in the major industry of slavery, which although it did not invent, it did industrialise to an extent never seen before in human history. However, the idea that the enslavement of human beings and the dehumanising to the status of animals was in fact wrong was just beginning to take hold of the consciences of some people in England at this time.
This lecture will trace the Beginnings of Abolition through the eyes of Dido Elizabeth Belle a black woman living in Kenwood House in the late 18th century, and the only known portrait of her painted by the German, but London based Neo-classical painter Johann Zoffany (1733-1810). What made her so different from other blacks living in London at this time, how did Dido come to live at such a grand house at the height of slavery in Britain, what exactly was her status and how was she treated?
In the light of these fundamental questions, this lecture will take us back in time on a journey that will not only look at the image of Dido, but will also look at a variety of images by artists such as Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) and Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). These artists and their paintings will be seen in the context of abolition, the changing social attitudes towards the industry of slavery, and the first stirrings of the Anti-Slavery movement in Britain.

Andrew Prince

Canterbury Lecture Date : Monday 7 August 2023 – broadcast live from the UK – 7.30pm

Andrew grew up with a passion for jewellery and was always determined that he would forge a career in jewellery design. At sixteen he started work in London’s Bond Street with the Antiques Roadshow expert Ian Harris. From there he worked with renowned contemporary jeweller Elizabeth Gage, working in design and production. Andrew has a love of fine ’costume jewellery’ and antique pieces, realising the beauty of elegant design and fine craftsmanship. Andrew’s work started to become well-known and private commissions came from celebrities including Shirley Bassey and the late Michael Jackson. In 2002 the V&A commissioned a collection of jewels to accompany the ‘Tiaras, Past & Present’ exhibition – and this exposure led to Andrew’s jewellery appearing in films. In 2005 he made pieces for ‘Mrs Henderson Presents’ starring Judy Dench: in 2009 for ‘The Young Victoria’ starring Emily Blunt and Miranda Richardson; in 2012 for the third series of Downton Abbey for characters played by Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern and Michelle Dockery.

SPLENDID JOURNEY’S: THE ART OF OPULENT TRAVEL

Throughout history, travelling and journeys have been used as a way to display wealth, power and status, along with being a useful tool to control over mighty subjects. Today, we take a journey as a matter of course, not thinking really much of a distance of a hundred miles or more. In the past however, things were very different. On a journey, an aristocrat had to take not only clothes, but food, furniture, cooking facilities, tents horses and the like, not just for himself and family but for his travelling household as well.
In this talk, Andrew shows the many lavish and opulent modes of transport used by monarchs, aristocrats and plutocrats that eased travel while on their seasonal “progress” to and from each other’s estates. He also illustrates how diplomatic meetings between rival Kings were turned into a contest, to see who could outshine each other in displays of the finest silver, jewels, silks, accommodation, and court retinue.

Note: With his online lecture circuit, Andrew will be delivering six unique lectures to all the NZ Societies so there is an opportunity to view additional topics from home. Details and links will be sent in advance.

Leigh Capel

Canterbury Lecture Date : Monday 11 September 2023 – 7.30pm

Leigh has been employed in the art industry as a valuer and specialist since 2013, and has worked at distinguished auction houses including Menzies, Mossgreen and Sotheby’s. In 2018, he became the Director of Belle Epoque Fine Art & Antiques, his mother’s business, known for supplying art and furniture to the Australian Film & Television industry, particularly Baz Luhrmann’s films. He is an accredited valuer of the Auctioneers & Valuers Association of Australia. Since 2019, Leigh has exhibited art and more recently has provided valuations at The Sydney Fair at Royal Randwick and The Melbourne Fair at Caulfield Racecourse. His projects have featured in Vogue Australia, ABC News, FilmInk magazine and The Daily Telegraph. He has also presented lectures across Australia as part of the Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Societies. His experience within the auction industry and outside as an art dealer provides a rounded perspective of the art market and art history.

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ARTISTS 1880 – 1980

Leigh will introduce the origins of art in Australia following white settlement, then focus on the earliest, most influential Australian women artists of the late 19th century. He will discuss the struggle of female artists against their limited social, cultural & political roles following Federation. The earliest professional female artists in Australia were employees of editorials such as The Bulletin & Home Magazine, until the rise of Modern Art saw the mass exodus of prospective female artists who sought training in Europe in the early 20th century. Leigh will track their experiences and triumphant return as pioneers of Australian Modernism. Leigh will look at Post War & Mid Century Artists, and the influential collectives they associated with such as the Heide Circle and the Sydney Charm School. He will highlight the early female abstract artists of the 1950s & 1960s; a style that was introduced to Australia predominantly by female migrants escaping war-torn Europe. Finally, he will assess the influence of Indigenous women artists of shaping Contemporary art in Australia.

Jane Malthus

Canterbury Lecture Date : Monday 16 October 2023 – 7.30pm

Dr Jane Malthus is a former Clothing and Textile Sciences and Design academic, and a dress historian and curator. Historical, social and cultural intersections and implications of dress and textiles worn and used by nineteenth and twentieth century New Zealanders are at the heart of her research practice.  She has published papers and chapters on topics including settler dress, dress reform, fur, lace, exhibition design, and co-curation, and is Honorary Curator of the Dress Collection at Otago Museum. A member of the Eden Hore Collection steering group and one of its patrons, she has been involved with that collection since the 1980s. She is currently a member of the Board of iD Dunedin Fashion.

LEARNING FROM DRESS AND TEXTILES: A LIFE’S WORK

As a dress historian and honorary curator, Jane curates collections (Otago Museum, and the Eden Hore Collection), exhibitions (in Dunedin, Shanghai, and Auckland for example), and studies, writes and talks about dress and textile topics. This lecture offers stories about her research into collection items and for exhibitions, with a wealth of images of nineteenth – twenty-first century fashion.

Gillian Hovell

Canterbury Lecture Date : Monday 20 November 2023 – 7.30pm

Gillian Hovell gained a BA (Hons) in Latin and Ancient History, Exeter University, and then branched out into archaeology. She is an ex-BBC, lecturer for the British Museum and York University, and an award-winning writer and author who specialises in relating the ancient world to our modern lives, in person, in the field, on line and in the media (most recently on Radio 4). Publications include Visiting the Past: A guide to finding and understanding Britain’s Archaeology and Roman Britain. Forthcoming are Latin Yesterday, Today and For Ever, and A Mediterranean Tour: Not just a Load of Old Stones. Gillian teaches adult education courses in Latin, archaeology and ancient history and has publicly lectured widely and passionately, on cruises and tours and for museums such as the British Museum & Ashmolean, national press, universities, literary festivals, and diverse societies including Classical Associations, the U3A and the National Trust.

A MEDITERRANEAN TOUR: NOT JUST A LOAD OF OLD STONES

A tour of the Mediterranean is a visit into the past; ancient sites are littered with ruined architecture, and museums are full of works of art testifying to once great civilisations. Explore who those civilisations were and how they fit together into a ‘big picture’. Find out how you can you identify whose art or architecture are whose, and why their self-expression is so distinctive. Learn what to expect from cultures’ sites and how to find the special details that thrill archaeologists. You’ll never look at ancient sites in the same way again …