ADFAS Ku-ring-gai Communiqué

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Issue No 18 February 2020 ________________________________________________________________________________

At our Annual General Meeting on 4th December we elected our Committee for 2020 with the following office bearers: Chairman: Helen Meddings Vice Chairman: Lawrence West Secretary: Michele Symonds Treasurer: Gay Windeyer Membership Secretary: Gillian Napper

Back Row left to right: Alice Anne Bagster, Sue Meares, Gillian Napper, Ros Markham, Bruce Standen Middle Row: Gillian Stegmann, Michele Symonds, Caroline Bray (retiring)

Front Row: Lawrence West, Lynette Davenport, Helen Meddings, Russell Lander, Gay Windeyer Absent: Chris McLennan

Your Committee is looking forward to an exciting year ahead with a programme covering many areas of the arts not covered for quite some time, if at all. We are also here to help each and every member get the most out of their ADFAS membership. Look out for us at each lecture and feel free to pass on suggestions, ideas, complaints or even praise.

I am very aware that I have huge shoes to fill after Russell's term as Chairman, but with the assistance of those in the photo above I believe we can make ADFAS Ku-ring-gai not only the largest society in Australia by numbers but also the friendliest, most welcoming and inclusive. Tell your friends - we still have room left for a few more members.

It is very difficult to say Happy New Year after the scenes of apocalyptic devastation and appalling loss of lives, livestock, wildlife and property from the bush fires in so many parts of NSW and interstate. From the point of view of ADFAS, we mourn the loss of artworks, artefacts and our cultural heritage. As a national organisation, through our partnership with the Australia Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM), we are playing a small part in these times of need by our support to conservators. Share the 'Disaster Contacts' from the AICCM website www.aiccm.org.au with any friends in need of their services in the blackened aftermath. We hope each of you, your families and friends are staying safe and strong.

Helen Meddings Chairman, ADFAS Ku-ring-gai

M: 0457 062 456 E: helenmeddings@icloud.com

ABOUT THE LECTURERS IN 2020 (L= lectures, SID=Special Interest Days)

Charles Harris (L) is a global-award winning Creative Director of international advertising agencies and has lectured extensively on design, illustration and photographic styles as they have influenced the building of brands. Charles has created posters for major brands including British Airways, Nestle, Sony, General Motors and Shell. Charles has also written and produced hundreds of TV and radio commercials and corporate video programmes.

Claudia Chan Shaw (L) is a fashion designer, television and radio presenter, author, public speaker, collector and artist. She was the curator of Sydney Chinese New Year Festival (2016-2018). Best known for her co-hosting of ABC TV's Collectors program and her subsequent book Collectomania, Claudia has also led Art Deco tours to Shanghai, Miami, Cuba, and New York.

Anne Schofield (SID) opened Australia's first specialist antique jewellery shop in Queen Street, Woollahra in 1970. She is co-author of Australian Jewellery: 19th and early 20th century and published Jewels on Queen in 2014. Anne is a member of the International Society of Jewellery Historians and lectures frequently on antique jewellery and costume. She appeared on For Love or Money and served on the Antiques Roadshow panel of experts. Anne is an Honorary Associate of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (the Powerhouse Museum).

Eva Czernis-Ryl (SID) gained her qualifications in art and design history in Poland and she now specialises in European and Australian decorative arts and design from the 17th century until the present. She joined the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in 1985 when she researched exhibitions for the new Powerhouse Museum which opened in 1988. Eva is currently curator Arts and Design at the Powerhouse Museum.

Richard Neville (SID) is the Mitchell Librarian and Director, Engagement at the State Library of NSW. With a research background in 19th century Australian art and culture, he has curated numerous exhibitions and published widely on colonial art and society. He has also been extensively involved in the acquisition, arrangement, description and promotion of the Library's renowned Australian research collections.

Paul Brunton OAM (SID) was Senior Curator, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales until November 2012. He has worked with the Mitchell Library’s Australiana collections since 1973 and was Curator of Manuscripts from 1986 to 2001. He was President of the Australian Society of Archivists, 1991-1993. Paul has published annotated editions of Joseph Banks' journal and Matthew Flinders' letters and is preparing another on William Bligh's journals. He has curated many exhibitions at the State Library and in 2003 was awarded the Centenary of Federation medal for services to libraries.

Karin Fernald (L) is an actor, writer and speaker 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. Karin researches and creates a spell-binding picture of a character and a historical period bringing lectures to vivid life. She has appeared at festivals in England and on tour in Japan, Australia, Europe and South Africa.

Julian Bickersteth (L) trained in the UK before coming to Australia in 1983 as the Powerhouse Museum’s first furniture conservator. In 1986 he founded International Conservation Services, which he continues to manage. His love of heritage has taken him all over the world from Scott and Shackleton's historic huts in Antarctica to the heat of the UAE. He is currently President of IIC, the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, conservation’s peak body worldwide. Julian is Chairman of the David Roche Foundation in Adelaide and President of ADFAS.

Giles Ramsay (L) is an independent theatre director, producer and lecturer who specialises in creating new work with artists in developing countries. He is a Fellow of St Chad's College, Durham University and Course Leader in Theatre at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Giles has run projects in Botswana, Cape Verde, Kenya, Kosovo, Palestine, Mexico, Thailand and Zimbabwe. He regularly lectures on the history and practice of theatre on the Queen Mary 2. Giles combines academic analysis with hands on experience to bring a unique insight to the world of the theatre.

Ian Gledhill (L and SID) has had a very varied career, from designing underground railways as an engineer for London Transport, to appearing in pantomime with Julian Clary. In between he has worked in travel and tourism, music publishing, television and especially the theatre, where he has been an actor, director, set designer, stage manager and opera translator. His main interests include architecture, history, transport and classical music, especially opera and operetta.

Brian Healey (L and SID) was a senior modern languages teacher in an independent grammar school for many years. He has enjoyed a successful parallel career since the 1980s as a professional artist and interior designer. Since 2006 he has been either resident artist, guest lecturer on art history or a destination speaker on ocean and river cruises visiting more than 40 countries. Brian is an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society.

Patricia Law (L) is a Fellow of the Gemmological Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers. Having spent 25 years working for international auction houses preparing jewellery sales for London, Geneva and New York, she established her own valuation business in 2015. Patricia enjoys a role in teaching gemmology and jewellery history to newly qualified brokers within the insurance industry as well as lecturing to private associations and charitable groups.

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SPECIAL INTEREST DAYS

To all of our new members, may we explain that at ADFAS Special Interest Days our lecturers delve deeper into a nominated theme. Besides the extra information learned, there is the opportunity to enjoy the company of other members over morning tea and lunch as well as being able to speak with the lecturer in a relaxed environment. This is the best day out for $70 in Sydney!

From the Programme you will see that we have four very special days in 2020 commencing with possibly the last chance to visit the Powerhouse Museum in its current guise before it closes in June. We will hear Anne Schofield and Eva Czernis-Ryl speak on antique and contemporary jewellery. There will be a maximum of 40 participants so get in early! Date: Thursday 23 April

Next we will spend a day at the Mitchell Library with the privilege of hearing from Richard Neville and Paul Brunton as they share origins of the institution and the rich records held at the Library. Date: Thursday 21 May

The Golden Age of Operetta (to be held at 'Laurelbank') will be a chance for toe-tapping enjoyment of many old favourites with musical excerpts provided by Ian Gledhill from the UK. Date: Thursday, 27 August

And finally, also at 'Laurelbank', another Arts Society lecturer, Brian Healey, will reveal the Art of America from the 'Ashcan School' through American Impressionism to the beauty of John Singer Sargent's art. Date: Thursday 24 September

ADFAS - ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH THE ARTS