CHAIRMAN’S REPORT IN THE NORTH EAST AREA SPRING REPORT 2015

I must start by explaining why as the Deputy Chairman for this area, I have taken on the role of Chairman because Jennifer Downey has had to retire with serious health problems. I am sure you will join me in sending her our best wishes for a safe recovery and we send her our heartfelt thanks for all she has done for NADFAS, both for this Area and her own Society in Sheffield.

Jennifer had worked very hard during the summer with the proposals to change the Area boundaries. It worried her that Yorkshire would be split, however these meetings with those chairman from the North West Area have developed a better friendship and understanding with those on the other side of the Pennines.

When Jennifer decided she had to retire in September, I was down in London at 48 hours to attend my first Chairmen’s Forum and greeted that there would be no boundary changes for our Area. I have also attended my first Advisory Council meeting. It is now confirmed that there is a single Volunteering Chairman, but one Chairman of volunteers will attend these meetings. This time it was the turn of the Heritage Volunteer Chairman, Diana Hadaway

During the year this Area has sadly seen the closure of the Derwent Evening Society. The last meeting was attended by Kate Siebert, a NADFAS Trustee as well as Vanessa Thomas, of the Societies Support Team. On this occasion the closure came as a surprise, and I only mention this now because it is a fact that some of our societies need more members, and if you feel the Support Team can help please contact us as early as possible.

Several Societies successfully applied for Grants from the Patricia Fay Memorial Fund and the Britcher Furlong Fund, receiving sums for particular projects often in the region of £500. Please let me know if this would help your society.

As I write this I am still learning “how to be your Chairman”, and I do ask your patience in the meantime. By the time of the meeting I will have attended a Chairman’s Induction Day on 17th February so as you can see some things are happening in an unusual order.

I will just finish with expressing my thanks to all the members of the Committee and look forward to working together for another year.

Elizabeth EvansChairman.

EDUCATION REPORT IN THE NORTH EAST AREA SPRING REPORT 2015

As we prepare these reports Teresa Rose, who is the new ACE, is away on a Swan Hellenic cruise, so we have printed here her programme for 2015.

At the Interface: Art and Science

2015 North East Area Study Days at the Bar Convent, York

Wednesday March 25th 2015 - Guy Rooker .

The genius of Leonardo da Vinci. Guy comes to NADFAS not from the arts world, but from the world of science in general, and surgery in particular. For a surgeon the basis of safe and successful operations is a sound knowledge of anatomy. His talks explore the delineation of our anatomical knowledge through the world of art, and specifically the remarkable contribution made to our understanding of the subject by Leonardo da Vinci.

Wednesday July 1st 2015 - Kevin Karney.

How time has been told through the ages. When? How Long? Now! As the social context of time telling and the accuracy required has changed over history, our own perceptions of the transience of life have never varied. Perhaps as a result of this, time telling devices (whether using shadows, clockworks, the drip of water or the burning of wax) have always been produced with exceptional craftsmanship, intricacy and beauty. The study day looks at many time-telling devices and charts how their use has risen and fallen as history, fashion and technology have progressed.

Wednesday September 30th 2015 - Sally Hoban.

The art and science of the Lunar Society. Members of the 18th century Lunar Society of Birmingham (including Josiah Wedgwood, Matthew Boulton, Erasmus Darwin and James Watt) were both artists and scientists and their legacy of experimentation and innovation helped shape the modern industrial world we know today. This study day discusses their lives and work and encompasses art and design including painting, ceramics, silver and photography. It also includes a look at the women of the Lunar circle and their contributions to art and science.

Teresa Rose, ACE

 

C AREA TRAINING Meg Moore, NADFAS North East Trainer

Although there were no training days in 2014, we are pleased to announce that Wendy Keeble, Head of Training for NADFAS, will be leading a Training Day on Thursday, 14th May 2015 at St. Bede’s Pastoral Centre in York.

She gives it the title “NEW! Inspiring Volunteers: How to attract Volunteers to your Committee and for Projects (full day). So many Societies say they have difficulties recruiting volunteers, particularly for Committee succession but also when trying to get volunteering projects off the ground. This course focuses on where to look for more volunteers and supporters, how to attract them and encourage them to get involved, and how to build a bank of volunteer resources. It is primarily aimed at Chairmen and Vice Chairmen but would be of interest to anyone trying to motivate more people to participate in running a Society.

D Church Recorders Report JANUARY 2015

This has been a busy year with a lot of progress made in most groups with the help of a new Handbook published in March. We had a recorders development day in May, which was attended by 40 people. It included in depth talks on a number of objects that we find regularly in churches, as well as Section training. We are hoping to repeat this format this year. We are working on sharing our knowledge base and experience with the involvement of all group leaders and experienced recorders with good results. We also had a compiling day for the group leaders, compilers and photographers. We were pleased to receive a supportive letter from the new Bishop of West Yorkshire and the Dales.

HARROGATE AND NIDD VALLEY: Harrogate, St Wilfrid - Recording -making good progress

LEEDS: Bramham All Saints - presented November 2014

Jane Hedley has stood down as leader and the group expects to re-establish with a new leader in the spring.

YORK: Cawood All Saints: Compiling

Stillingfleet St Helen - Compiling

York All Saints Pavement - Compiling

HAMBLEDON: South Kilvington St Wilfrid - Completed.

Osmotherley, St Peters - Recording

HALIFAX: Halifax Minster: Compiling - expecting to complete this year

BEVERLEY: Rescue record abandoned -

HELMSLEY: Salton, St John - this has been abandoned

SALTAIRE: Bradford St Chad - Recording

SHEFFIELD AND HALLAMSHIRE: Abbeydale, Sheffield - St John the Evangelist -Recording with Monica Slater as leader

NORTH YORKS AND SOUTH DURHAM Darlington St Cuthbert - Compiling

TYNESIDE Bywell St Andrew - Recording

WENSLEYDALE: Masham, St Mary - Recording

Susan Behrens Jan 7th 2015

E NADFAS Heritage Volunteers Area Report, North East 2015

As I seem to say in every report, work continues at a steady pace with all the H.V. projects.

N. Yorks & S. Durham - they have estimated that they spent 208 hours volunteering in 2014 on 2 full Nadfas projects; Richmond Museum with 2 volunteers and Durham Cathedral Library. The latter is temporarily suspended due to the departure of the supervising archivist. They are hoping to re-commence in the spring. They also had a team working at Bowes Museum under "Friends of Bowes" with the archivist Judith Phillips (a Nadfas Member) supervising. They are hoping to do more there in the future.

Hull; they estimated that their team of 17 volunteers, working on their 2 continuing projects, spent 94 hours per month (excluding 8 weeks holiday breaks). If you add these 2 figures together and multiply it by hundreds it shows what excellent work the volunteers are doing throughout the country. Where would many of these Museums and stately homes be without us? We need to sing our own praises more, which brings me very neatly to Holderness.

Holderness; worked at Burton Constable for over twenty years. I visited the Hall with my own Society, Scarborough, in November and was so impressed, not only with their work on textiles and books, but also with the brochure "Tassel Trail" which celebrates their work and, as it says, takes you on a trail of the house outlining the H.V's work, that I have sent a copy to Florian as I think it is the best advert for Nadfas that I have seen.

York; work continues on all their projects.

Hambleton; had a rota of 9 stewards at Sion Hill during the summer. They will receive more training in the spring and re-commence in the summer.

I have also received an email from Judith el Saffar, requesting volunteers to do on- line research into Capability Brown in connection with the CB300 Festival and to start up local groups. Please contact me if any Society is interested.

Mary Grunwell Area Rep. January 2015

F NE Area Young Arts South Spring report

At the Young Arts Representatives October meeting the Young Arts Strategy was discussed and is due for update in 2015. Copies will be circulated before the NE Spring meeting for discussion. Also Sue Gilbert, Head of NADFAS Young Arts is suggesting that a short series of check lists be prepared to aid recruitment of new YA representatives and to support all of us in our varied projects.

Please bring your thoughts on both the overall strategy and the initial checklist with you to New Earswick or send email/phone comments. to myself and Carole le Duc, ideally before the meeting so they can be shared. Also let us know what topics are most helpful for your Society.

Eg NADFAS House staff attended a seminar this January on Intellectual Property & the Arts ie Design Rights, Copyright and where appropriate Trademarks so that NADFAS publications, posters and flyers etc fulfil legal requirements and the Advertising Standards Authority Codes of Practice.

For example we all know the difference between a copy made for insurance purposes or student learning and a copy by Artist B sold as one created by Artist A. Do we know enough of the artists/maker’s rights when accepting a commission for new work? and when selling an artwork they have created without a specific commission? Do we know enough about the rights of the Artists’ estate? Do we know about use of our own and sponsors’ logos on publicity materials? A short checklist should provide us with guidance, peace of mind and save us from unwitting infringements which can have financial consequences.to our Societies and to NADFAS.

For 2016+ planning, please have thoughts about the potential for a circulating exhibition of silverware which was sponsored by the NE Area over some 10 years and is now being jointly sponsored by Hallamshire DFAS and Sheffield DFAS. This should be a fully curated, ready to travel collection of some 12-15 pieces which can be available to your local gallery in 2016+ to show the work of NADFAS supporting young makers, in this case silversmiths. We have had expressions of interest from Fairfax House, York but are there likely to be others in your Societies Area? Please let us know at the Spring meeting.

Every best wish for your Societies 2015 Young Arts projects.

(Report needed from Carole le Duc, Young Arts)

G NE AREA SPRING MEETINGWebsite Report 2015

A short update on the North East Area website

www.nadfasne.org.uk

I would like to thank all those Societies, Study Day, Young Arts, Church Trails, Church Recording and Heritage Volunteer leaders, who have given me their updated information on programmes, committee changes, new websites, current events and photographs.It has been a great help and I look forward to more updates.Some societies without a website have included lecture programmes in their society sections so please feel free to do that and send it to me as a word document attachment.

There has been much new activity with Young Arts, which is a very interesting read and I urge you to inform your members about the site and that they can also access the interesting Area Study Day programme for 2015 which has been put together by Dr Teresa Rose Beechfield and can be downloaded.

On the Home page, you can find direct links for Twitter and Facebook and to the NADFAS National site which is full of information about NADFAS in general and a section for running societies and volunteering groups, www.nadfas.org.uk . The NADFAS Review Magazine can be downloaded under NEWS and Spring Meeting minutes for 2014 under UPCOMING EVENTS in Spring Meeting 2015.

I look forward to hearing from you all with updates and photographs in due course and any ideas you may have for additions or changes to the content would be welcome.Follow this link to view your own society information in case there are amendments needed.http://northeast.nadfas.net/societies

Please contact Chris Shepherd on e-mail: tvrk1200rs@aol.com or telephone: 07990517589

Thank you all Chris Shepherd North East Area Website Administrator

H CHILDREN’S CHURCH TRAILS IN THE NORTH EAST

All Saints, Helmsley – training given. New team from Helmsley DFAS are making good progress - first drafts received. St Mary’s, Sledmere. New team from Driffield Wolds DFAS. Training given and work on trail compilation to begin in the Spring.St Cuthbert’s, Darlington. North Yorks and South Durham DFAS. Very decorative draft of trail submitted and questions commented on. Awaiting Answers and amendments.St Mary’s, Richmond. Wensleydale DFAS. Awaiting second draft after giving feedback on initial questions.St Mary’s, Thirsk. Hambleton DFAS. Awaiting next draft after initial one commented on and suggestions made.All Hallows’, Walkington, near Beverley. (not attached to any society). At very final stages and should be launched in the Spring.

If any societies are interested in making a Children’s Church Trail, please do get in touch with me. They are relatively quick to produce and do not cost much (£50 is a suggested amount – but often they cost far less). They are a great way of supporting NADFAS by using volunteers from your society and give a lot of pleasure to those compiling the trail and to children and adults visiting churches in the Area.

Helga ToonChurch Trails TeamJanuary 2015

YOUNG ARTS (NORTH) REPORT IN THE NORTH EAST AREA SPRING REPORT 2015

Alison Buckingham passed the baton to me last year and I am grateful to her for the solid legacy she had built up. I am honoured to be the Young Arts Co-ordinator for the N.E. Area (North). All societies in the North have supported Young Arts projects or are involved with Church Trails. Some projects are on-going.

Funding is always a challenge but two societies applied for and received funding from the Patricia Fay Memorial Fund. I applaud their persistence and encourage others to do the same. Most societies have special fund-raising events or raffles dedicated to Young Arts. Thank you for your generosity.

Projects have been varied and have benefited all Young Arts age groups. Societies have sponsored workshops and exhibitions; donated materials; enabled visits to museums and galleries and facilitated experts from Magic Lantern and other organisations to involve young people in exciting art related topics and activities eg The Big Draw.

I would like to congratulate Hayley Stephenson from Northallerton College, Hambleton Society for her winning entry, “Rabbits”, that will be exhibited alongside professional artists at the Royal School of British Artists’ annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London from 11th to 21st March, 2015.

“Pink” forms are to be revised – am sure this will be music to your ears.

None of the above happens without a great deal of hard work and enthusiasm. Thank you all for your dedication to Young Arts. I look forward to another productive year in the North.

Carole le DucYoung Arts (North) North East Area

GROUP LEADERS WITH THEIR MEETING ROOMS

23rd February 2015

Elizabeth Evans Chairman’s group LARGE HALL, front

with Rik Gadsby

Maureen Jones Treasurers COMMITTEE ROOM

Joan Lawrence Secretaries and Membership

Secretaries LARGE HALL, front

Meg Moore with Programme Secretaries GALLERY – small table end

Lizzie Darbyshire

Teresa Rose Visits and Study Days MEETING ROOM (part of)

Susan Behrens Church Recorders LARGE HALL at rear

Helga Toon and Volunteering LARGE HALL, also at rear

Mary Grunwell

Jenny Cotton and Young Arts GALLERY on settees

Carole le Duc