What are Study Days?

Starting at 10:00am and finishing at 3:00pm, Study Days provide three one-hour lectures, linked to a chosen theme. Coffee is served between the morning sessions, and a two-course lunch before the afternoon session. Study Days are held in Oxford at Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, OX1 2JA, the home of the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education. The lecture theatre has up-to-date audio/visual equipment, including a hearing loop, and there is lift access.

The next Study Day

We are very pleased to announce that our next Study Day will be held on Tuesday 13th January and will be titled Photography: the big picture.

The speaker will be Roger Mendham. Roger is a keen and accomplished photographer and has gained Distinctions from the Royal Photographic Society and has recently completed three years as President of the Surrey Photographic Association. His artistic taste is predominantly 20th century and he is particularly interested in the visual aspects of art. He has studied the evolution of photography from its earliest days in the early 1800s to becoming a major art form in the late 20th and now 21st centuries.

Lecture 1. “Photography comes of Age” From the very first, grainy image created in 1826, photography has evolved into a major art form. Developments in photography have posed challenges to more traditional art genres and it is interesting to see how some of the great artists have adapted to using cameras as part of their work. This talk looks at photography over the past 200 years, looking at key advances in technology and the inter-relationship with art movements. The work of pioneering women photographers is particularly interesting, and the talk concludes with examples of some great photographs that have been sold for millions of dollars at auction.

Lecture 2. “The Power of Photography” Photographs have the ability to stop time, to provide a freeze-frame of a moment in time and space. They give the observer the opportunity to think, to react, to feel and to soak in the details of the circumstances surrounding the image. This talk examines some the most important images and photographers of the past 100 years. It explores why these images are so powerful and influential in our understanding of history.

Lecture 3. “The Digital Art Gallery” This talk examines photography as an art form through the medium of a digital gallery. The gallery has been curated into a number of genres; eg Landscape and Nature. Within each genre a comparison is drawn between the approach of traditional artists and examples of how photographers have approached the genre. This lecture provides a good overview of the breadth of subjects and genres of photography and includes images by some of the finest exponents of this art form.

Timetable
09:30-09:50 registration
10:00-11:00 lecture 1
11:00-11:30 break for coffee/tea and biscuits
11:30-12:30 lecture 2
12:30-14:00 break for lunch
14:00-15:00 lecture 3

Cost
£50 per person. This includes the three lectures, tea/coffee and biscuits in the common room and a two-course buffet lunch (vegetarian and other options available) in the dining room.

Buying a ticket
More information will be available in an email to members towards the end of November.

TASO is using TicketSource for the booking process. The tickets will be sold on a first-come first-served basis and paid for by card at the time of purchase. You will not need to print them at home as the organisers will have a list of participants. If you try and buy after all the tickets have been sold, you will be able to add your name at no charge to a waiting list via the TicketSource website.

Cancelling
You can cancel by sending an email to tasoxford@gmail.com. Make sure you put Study Day in the subject line of the email. You will not receive a refund, but we will put you in touch with the next person on the waiting list (if there is one). You can then make your own arrangements. TicketSource provides its own insurance against cancellation if you choose to pay extra for it, but you are recommended to read the small print carefully.

Previous Study Days

To read about our previous study days click here

How do I contact the organisers?

If you would like any more general information about Study Days, please contact our organisers – Sue Hine, Bridget Watkins and Ann Bevan – at tasoxford@gmail.com. Make sure you put Study Day in the subject line of the email.

Wyvern Area Study Days

We are part of The Arts Society Wyvern Area and our members, and those on the waiting list, are welcome to take part in Wyvern area events. Further details click here