Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, stages various exhibitions, talks workshops and tours,

Dovecot is a world-renowned tapestry studio in the heart of Edinburgh and a landmark centre for contemporary art, craft and design.

Alongside the tapestry studio, Dovecot run an exciting programme of exhibitions and events to further explore contemporary art, craft and design. 

Forthcoming Exhibitions and Tours are featured here

The exhibition entitled "Tryptych" features three artists:- Nicole Stevenson, Amber Carter and Lesley McLaren. It runs from the 2 to 30 August 2025.

Click here for details.

The Lomond & Argyll branch of the Arts Society is holding a Study Day on Stonehenge in Helensburgh on Thursday 5th June.  The lecturer is Julian Roberts and the cost is £55.  Please click here for full details and application form.

The Lomond Arts Society is holding a Study Day about the "Silk Road".  The lecturer is Chris Aslan who gave us a fascinating talk on the subject in March last year (2023). The event will take place on Tuesday 5th March in Rhu, near Helensburgh.

Lomond would like to offer members of our society the opportunity to join them in what they confidently expect to be a very enjoyable day. It will also provide an opportunity to meet members of other societies in agreeable circumstances.

You will find details on the Lomond Arts Society website WWW.TASLA.ORG.UK

On 11th December 2023, our final guest of the year was Russell Nash, who spoke about ‘The Men who made Menswear’.

To celebrate Christmas, we started the afternoon with drinks and festive treats and ended the day with a Raffle.

Thanks so much to all members who supported this. Proceeds will be used to expand activities for Members and in the further development of TASBAM.

The Royal School of Needlework in Scotland would like to invite you to the RSN Scotland Exhibition of Certificate & Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery students’ work.

The Exhibition will be open from 20 to 28 July at The Glasgow Art Club, where RSN Scotland teaches the C&D and Day Classes across a variety of techniques in hand embroidery.

Entry to the Exhibition is free and we would love for you to share this invitation with your friends, families and groups in Scotland. 

For further information see the entry in the "Documents" page under "About us" in the main menu.

Entries are now open, until 31 May, for the Contemporary Landscape Art Competition.  With a first prize of £10,000, the hotly anticipated awards are open to anyone over the age of 16 years, born, living or studying in Scotland, regardless of experience. 

More details may be found at:-

Scottish Landscape Awards — Scottish Arts Trust

ALL WILL BE REVEALED FROM THE 19-21 MAY AT THE SEC. TICKETS ON SALE NOW.

With just weeks to go REVEAL, sponsored by Alchemy Experiment, will showcase the talents of leading painters, printers, sculptors photographers and designers from across Scotland and the UK. Over the weekend their work will be available to buy with prices from £50 to over £20,000.  

For morre details click the link:-  

REVEAL Glasgow – Exciting new exhibitor list revealed (mailchi.mp)   

Reveal, previously the Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair, will be moving to the Glasgow SEC.  It is all about fresh exciting contemporary art that appeals to art lovers enthusiasts and collectors with something for all tastes and spaces. 

The move to the SEC has attracted leading contemporary art galleries and professional artists from across the UK, presenting a stunning range of work that includes original paintings, sculpture, glassware, prints, photography and much more.  Brilliant art doesn’t need to be expensive and there aret hundreds and hundreds of pieces for you to see in a friendly and informal atmosphere.

There are free art workshops for adults, ideal for all levels with beginners welcome. Brought to you by Glasgow School of Arts Peter J Scott these classes are informal, fun and last one hour each. Sat/Sun 11am and 3pm. Places are limited and must be booked in advance.  For more information and booking tickets see Preview Evening, Tickets & Times - Reveal Glasgow

Stirling & Forth Valley Arts Society have invited us to join them for a visit to the Dovecot Studios and the Surgeons' Hall Museum in Edinburgh on Wednesday 26 April.  

Details of the visit, including how to book, can be found by clicking here.

Any queries should be directed to Stirling & Forth Valley Arts Society www.theartssocietystirling.org.uk

At the lecture on 14 November, a Guest Token will be given to each Member.  This will allow free admission for a friend or interested person to  one of the forthcoming Lectures.

There is a new member of the Committee. We are pleased to welcome Geraldine Paton who is a co-opted member until the AGM.

Geraldine will assist with Programme Planning and Publicity.

There will be Wine and Festive treats after the Lecture on 12 December when we will also hold a Christmas Raffle.

The Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research, part of Glasgow University has alerted us to their Open Day 2022.

 
"We would like to invite you to the Open Day of the Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research on Friday 13 May.  The Kelvin Centre will be open between 11.00 and 5.00 pm.  We are on Level 1, Kelvin Hall, 1445 Argyle St, Glasgow G3 8AW.
You will be able to see the work of students on the three programmes: MPhil Textile Conservation, MLitt Technical Art History: Making and Meaning, MLitt Dress and Textile Histories in the Textile Conservation and Technical Art History teaching labs, as well as talk to our students, PhDs, Post Docs. and staff about their programmes, research projects, and other activities.
If you would like to come, please register online at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/323174913867   

Bearsden Art Club has announced the return of its Annual Exhibition.  This will take place at The Lillie Art Gallery Milngavie from 7th May 2022 until 16th June 2022.  The Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm.
Most of the Bearsden Art Club members' work is for sale, in the setting of this well established gallery which houses part of the permanent collection of East Dunbartonshire Council.  The exhibition will appeal to most with an interest in art, including paintings in oil, acrylic and  watercolour, ceramics, textiles, sculpture and multi-media.  Bearsden Art Club prize-winners display their work alongside other work by members (some of whom may be exhibiting for the first time). 

The Spring Udate, a letter from the Committee, has been circulated to members and can also be accessed here.

We were very sorry to learn that Janet Stirk, a valued member of our Committee, died shortly before Christmas. 

 
Janet moved from York to Glasgow in 2017 to be near her daughter.   She had previously been active in the Arts Society there, participating in a Volunteer Scheme cataloguing and repairing books at Castle Howard. 

She joined the Bearsden and Milngavie Arts Society and was subsequently invited onto the committee where she gave sage advice. She had plans to establish a volunteer programme here but this was prevented by Covid restrictions.  We greatly miss Janet.

A letter from the Committee giving a review and update of the current state of The Arts Society Bearsden and Milgavie (TASBAM) as of December 2021 can be accessed here.

Stuart Whytock has re-joined the Committee.  We are pleased to welcome him back and appreciate his IT expertise and management of projection equipment. 

The June 2021 Newsletter from Retiring Chairman Meg Macfarlane covers both May and June.

Click here to see it in the Documents page.

The April 2021 Newsletter may be found in the Documents page of this website.

Heather was born in Aberdeen and stayed there until she finished her primary teacher training.  She came to Glasgow for her first job in 1972 intending to stay for two years but somehow never got away, apart from crossing the river to settle on the north side.  After a break from working for fifteen years, at home bringing up her three daughters, Heather returned to work as a teacher.
Since retirement she and her husband have enjoyed travelling more.  They have visited many different galleries and exhibitions, always finding something of interest  Although Heather has never had any inclination to painting personally she has always enjoyed and admired art work of all sorts.  She finds it incredible how many artists can be talented in so many aspects.
Since joining the Arts Society Heather has thoroughly enjoyed the lectures and outings, and has learned so much about so many areas whether painting, dance, music, antiques or architecture. When asked to join the committee she felt it was time to do something to keep TASBAM going after 2022.

The March 2021 Newsletter may be found in the Documents page of this website.

In it there is an urgent and heartfelt request for members to come forward and join the Committee. 

The future of our Bearsden and Milngavie Society is in jeopardy without new committee members! 

Stephen was born in Yorkshire, moved to East Anglia as a young teenager and attended a school that had art appreciation sessions. After studying science at the new University of East Anglia, Norwich, he worked initially in the paper industry, and later gaining a business studies degree from Warwick University.  Stephen settled in Glasgow over 40 years ago where he met his wife Hazel.  They lived first on the south side before moving to Bearsden.  Stephen has worked in marketing for Weirs, John Brown Engineering and Howden , companies supplying the power and other heavy process industries. 
Stephen enjoys hill walking and gardening. He is an elder of New Kilpatrick Parish Church, and after retiring became a member of the Probus Club of Allander.  He joined the Arts Society several years ago, and joined the Committee last year. He looks after the TASBAM website.

The February 2021 Newsletter may be found in the Documents page of this website.

The Newsletter has a reminder to complete the TASBAM Rebooting survey (sent out on 22 January), and notice that a simple guide to using "Zoom"  is being prepared.

Meg joined SAS Scandinavian Airlines aged seventeen, and trained with other colleagues from all over the world in Copenhagen.  She learned about so many things, including excellent service standards, and the psychology of the SAS family, that left a lasting impression on her.  SAS flew out of Prestwick and was a pioneering airline.   Meg subsequently worked for TAP – Portuguese Airways, VARIG the Brazilian carrier, Air Canada and Singapore Airlines.  

With the birth of her children, Grant and Fiona, Meg enjoyed family life for 10 years before re-joining TAP, and then Icelandair in 1988 as their Sales Executive.  When recession hit in 1993 she moved to the hospitality industry, first with Consort-Best Western and latterly to the Swallow Hotel Group as their National Account Manager – Corporate Sales.
Retirement wasn’t easy to accept, but on the recommendation of a friend she joined NADFAS (though having  a year on the waiting list).  Soon she volunteered as Vice-Chair, and then became Chairman.  Meg is now in her second spell in the post.  She is also Chairman of the Bearsden Flower Club, a member of Bearsden North Community Council and a Trustee of Brookwood Community Trust.  She plans to write a book about the Travel Industry in Scotland from the 1950s to now.

Meg’s desire is to find TASBAM members who will come along and volunteer to fill roles on the Committee.  

The January 2021 Newsletter may be found in the Documents page of this website.

The next lecture on the architect Zaha Hadid is featured, as is an appreciation of the Gilbert and Sullivan lecture given on Zoom in December, and the result of the Art Competition.

The Art Competiton for TASBAM members and members of their families was announced in the Chairman's November Newsletter. There were twelve entries from eight artists that were judged by members of the Committee and the results were announced at the December meeting.

The entries may be viewed in the Gallery page.  The winner was A J Stirk (12) with "The Horrors of Salvation". 

This item posted 9 November 2020, event date 14 December 2020.  The planned lecture for December was cancelled along with other lectures before Christmas.  However the committee thought that a Christmas event might cheer us all up, and has arranged what promises to be a fascinating and entertaining presentation. 

It will be a "Zoom" lecture by Bernard Lockett entitled ‘The Heritage of Gilbert and Sullivan’ and may include clips of performances.  Bernard has been steeped in G & S for most of his life.  He is a Trustee of the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, has published several books, gives regular lectures and has broadcast on his subject. 

The lecture will be on the 14 December at 2pm and a Zoom link will be emailed to members nearer the time. 

The December Newsletter may be found in the Documents page of this website.

It contains information on the Gilbert & Sullivan "Zoom" lecture on 14 December and the Art Competition.

The November Newsletter may be found in the Documents page of this website.

This letter from Meg Macfarlane has news of a Zoom meeting being planned, an art competition and efforts being made to encourage and recruit new members, especially new committee members. 

The Lillie Art Gallery in Milngavie re-opened on the 13th October with two exhibitions:  

20-20 Vision, by the Glasgow and District branch of the Embroiderers Guild.  

Young People’s Art: Future Ideas, the annual exhibition to showcase selected works by the Saturday Art Classes for young people, delivered by EDLC Arts & Events Programme.  This is an exhibition of traditional drawing and painting, sculptural and conceptual ideas translating our young people’s vision for the future. 

In order to regulate social distancing, it will be necessary to book beforehand.  Tel: 956 5536

More details from the Lillie web page 

The October Newsletter from Meg Macfarlane may be found in the Documents page of this website

Jean is a native of Glasgow – living first at Queen’s Cross, then Townhead, and is now settled in Anniesland.  She left school at 15 and started working for a firm of Chartered Accountants as the Office Junior.   She moved to be a book-keeper for Scottish Highland Hotels  and was there for 27 years, before finishing her career running the office of Soaves Ice Cream Dairy in Muirhead.  

After retiring in 2001 Jean became being treasurer of both the National Trust for Scotland Glasgow Members Centre, and the Arts Society in Bearsden.  Her interests are the Arts and Music.  She is a long and devoted follower of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and was Chair of the RNSO Friends.

Jean is a key member of the Committee and, as well as looking after the Club finances, organises the programme card and mailing to members.

The Edinburgh Decorative and Fine Arts Society (EDFAS) has arranged a series of online lectures and are making them available to members of The Arts Society of Bearsden and Milngavie. The lectures will be streamed to YouTube and there are no restrictions on the numbers who can watch.

• TASBAM members are invited to watch the EDFAS online lectures as guests
• The lectures are at 6 pm on the second Tuesday of the month, starting in September.  It is a live stream.  For copyright reasons the lectures cannot be left up for longer.
• There is no cost to our Society, but EDFAS asks that each member pays EDFAS the usual visitor donation, ie. £5, for any lecture  watched. This will be capped at £20 for all ten lectures. Bank details and the Treasurer's address for any cheques will be given. Donations will go towards the project for access to the arts for disadvantaged children at the National Museums of Scotland.
• An email with further information on the lecture and lecturer and the lecture link will be sent the day before the lecture to all Bearsden and Milngavie members.  
• The lecture synopses sheet is here (June not booked as yet).  
• There is a guide here for watching lectures online 

The September Newsletter from Meg Macfarlane may be found in the Documents page of this website.

Knowledge of the Roman times in Bearsden was much enhanced by fairly recent archaeological discoveries near the course of the Antonine Wall.
An extensive book “Bearsden: A Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall” about the excavations of the Roman fort and bath house in Bearsden was published in 2016.  It was written by Professor David Breeze, formerly Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Scotland who led the excavations, and has contributions from over thirty-five specialists.  
In May the Society of Antiquities of Scotland made a digital version available that may be freely downloaded under a Creative Commons licence.  The link is  http://books.socantscot.org/digital-books/catalog/book/5

The “Links” page of our website is a way of accessing many Arts organisations and cultural topics.  The “Useful Links” section provides a route to the websites of several Scottish  art galleries and museums. 
The “Cultural Links” section is far more wide ranging and international in scope, having over 30 links to galleries, museum, short lectures and virtual tours of exhibitions.  
 
The latest link is to the website of the Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections, containing a wealth of information on the artefacts they have.
 
Suggestions by members of other sites to be included would be welcomed (email to info@tasbam.org.uk)

The August 2020 newsletter may be found in the Documents page of this website.

Dora was born in Ayrshire, attended Cumnock Academy and studied medicine at Glasgow University.
She worked for 26 years as a Consultant Anaesthetist in the Institute of Neurological Sciences at the former Southern General Hospital, at the same time running a home and bringing up two daughters.  

Following retirement in 2008, Dora was Safeguarding Coordinator for New Kilpatrick Church for 6 years, and was ordained as an elder in 2010.  Over the past four years, she and her husband have devoted much time to helping their older daughter, who has ME, look after their first grandchild.  

Dora has always enjoyed galleries, classical music and dance.  She joined TASBAM in 2015 and took over from Sue Ogden as Secretary in 2019.    As well as organising committee meetings, writing minutes, helping at our meetings and publicising them in the local media, Dora has recently adopted new technology (Zoom and Mailchimp) for TASBAM communications. 

A picture of Dora may be found in the Gallery, click here.

Over the next few months we shall be featuring members of the Committee, so you can get to know them better. The first is Peter Spencer Davies.

Peter was born in South Wales and was an undergraduate at Aberystwyth before studying for a PhD in Glasgow University, and spending the rest of his academic career there, as a marine biologist.  He has board experience of five companies, including a major scientific publishing company. He was CEO of a spinout company  and a Governor of Kelvinside Academy. On retirement, he researched and published ‘Scottish Pewter 1600-1850’ – the standard reference work on the subject. He was co-leader with Meg Macfarlane of the Arts Society Church Recording of New Kilpatrick Church, and has subsequently worked with Airedale Solutions on the creation of our new website.

A picture of Peter may be found in the Gallery, click here.

The July newsletter is now available and can be found in the Documents section by clicking here.

For those that don’t know, All 4 is a free streaming TV service, and it has been streaming a series by Grayson Perry  entitled ‘Grayson Perry’s Art Club’ It has been attracting quite a following.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/graysons-art-club

Well worth watching!

Highly recommended by one of our members is a weekly on-line lecture by Stella Grace Lyons, an Arts Society accredited lecturer, at 11am every Friday.   Each podcast lasts 30 minutes and covers some of the  works and life of important artists. 

You can go to her website (click here) to find about about forthcoming topics and to rergister.

This week’s lecture (3 July) is entitled ‘Goddesses and Doormats: ‘Picasso’s women’. Once you have registered, you will get a notification each Monday of the new lecture, and if interested you make a payment of £7.50, and on Friday click the link  that she will email to you.

We have been notified that the Church Recording of New Kilpatrick Church, completed in July last year was short-listed for an Arts Society / Marsh Christian Trust Award  for Volunteering.

In addition to the Arts Society ‘Connected’ website,  a further range of online arts topic can be found  on the BBC’s  Bringing Arts and Culture into your Home.  It can be found at  https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts.

Whilst the Covid restrictions meant that we had to cancel the April, May and June lectures, the good news is that a lot of arts-related illustrated talks have become available on -line for our enjoyment over the summer period.  The Arts Society in London has created a dedicated website:  https://connected.theartssociety.org.  Clicking on this will take you to the ‘Lectures at Home’, all given by accredited Arts Society  lecturers.  The programme of lectures on offer changes fortnightly.  The site also features a Discussion Forum, Blogs and a Gallery of artworks.  It is well worth connecting.

From the ‘Connected’ website you can also sign up to curated e-newsletters from the Arts Society, with a variety of Arts news that will be sent to your in-box each month.

When our regular programme resumes, we are planning to organise one or more Study Days.  The Arts Society has a small pool of accredited lecturers who would present an in-depth presentation on their chosen subject.  Typically, this might involve two short talks and or demonstrations followed by lunch, and then continue with one or two further talks in the afternoon. These presentations would be for a smaller group of members, so that there would be plenty of opportunity for discussion.  There would be a charge for the Study Day,   Christine Hamilton, our Programme Secretary will be the organiser and details of the Study Day will be given here on the website and announced at the monthly meetings.

Margaret Harris and Janet Stirk are actively looking into various heritage volunteering options that you might like to be involve in when lockdown is finally lifted. If you would like to find out more, or have some suggestions to offer, please contact either Margaret or Janet via

info@tasbam.org.uk