Autumn 2023 courses now available!
It seems ridiculously early for our thoughts to be turning to autumn, even as Robert is finally enjoying several days of long-awaited sunshine in the garden. And yet here we are! Our autumn term this year starts a wee bit earlier than usual, so my calendar tells me that now is indeed the time to lay before you what we hope you’ll agree is a tasty array of autumnal temptations.
But first… A quick housekeeping notice before we turn to the main business of the day…
A reminder to those who are on courses with us right now that this week (w/c 29 May) is half term, so there will be no broadcasts from Wrightington Towers until Saturday.
I think that the booking elves have got the memo, so you shouldn’t be receiving ‘Coming soon’ reminder emails, but I thought it might be safer to don belt and braces, and remind you here, just in case…
With housekeeping sorted, then, onto the main part of today’s agenda.
I’m delighted to announce that our courses for autumn are now available for registration, so without further ado…
Our first ten-weeker of the term has been much-requested for some time, so we’re pleased to say that it’s time to get your horned helmets and your How-To-Do-A-Blood-Eagle book at the ready,* as we set our sights on…
*[Don’t worry - as you no doubt know, no helmets will actually be be-horned in the making of this course, and I assure you that there will be no blood eagle practical sessions]
Our second ten-weeker also arises from frequent requests, and we feel that autumn, as the northern nights are drawing in, is the perfect time for…
A History of Spain
(or, indeed, as Robert explains on the course page, A History of Spains-in-the-plural).
Feedback via various media (on which more another time, but for now, many thanks to those of you who have completed our poll!) suggests that our recent move towards a greater variety of subjects - i.e. more shorter courses - is welcome, so for this term at least, we’re sticking with this MO.
You already know about the Short & Sweet course with which we’re kicking off the new academic year, namely The Odyssey, but for the sake of completion, it would be silly of me not to mention it here.
The subject of the next Short & Sweet surely needs no introduction…
I know that many of you were lucky enough to get to THE international art blockbuster of the year thus far, i.e. Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and I’d be surprised if at least some of you didn’t also catch a Rembrandt or two while you were there. You may even have visited his home, and acquired a souvenir tattoo (no really! It’s a thing!).
You may, however, have opted for a less painful souvenir, as featured in these parish pages many moons ago, but whether it’s in the company of Miffy, your now-healed tattoo, or neither, why not join us for two Thursday afternoons chock-full of Rembrandtian delights?!
Our next Short & Sweet is for those of you who like your Wright History to be very old…
This will do pretty much do what it says on the tin, in ‘Imself’s inimitable Robertian style, so I’ll move swiftly on to the last of the Short & Sweets to be announced just now.
The timing of these is inspired by - but in no way dependent upon - A History of Spain, in that we’ve long been plotting each as a Short & Sweet. As with all of our courses, they stand in their own right, and no prior knowledge is presumed.
First up (and this may also appeal to those of you who have especially enjoyed episodes in our modern arts strand over the last few years)…
Undeniable genius, amazing colours, breath-taking forms, and hefty dashes of narcissism and anarchy… what better way could there be to spend two afternoons?!
And then, as the natural daylight becomes ever more elusive outside, why not warm your cockles with the exquisite light and shade of…
For those of you who are not familiar with either of these, all I’ll say at this point is: prepare to have your mind blown and your socks blown off!
For now, just one new course remains to be announced, and this one will be in what several of you have referred to as a Goldilocks format - not too short, not too long, but just right - i.e. 6 weeks. Allow me to present, for your Goldilocksian entertainment…
Yup. That’s right. Oooh, the fun we’ll havc with these dangerous (allegedly) beauties…!
We’ve a few more things up our sleeves, which we’ll announce as soon as we can (sneak preview: they include an in-venue course at Pickering and two more Short & Sweets for November/December).
Shameless? Moi?? etc…
In the meantime, I’d like, if I may, to offer a cheeky reminder that Grandeur and Obedience: Royal portraits, 1660-1820 and China meets the West are very nearly upon us (commencing, respectively, on Saturday 3 June and Monday 5 June), and that there’s still time to book should you wish.
We very much hope that you approve of our autumn programme!
NB All courses will be recorded, so will be available on “catch up” if required.
To see all courses now available in calendar order, click here. Alternatively, click on the relevant course title[s] in this post to go directly to the relevant page[s].
We hope you’re all having a lovely bank holiday weekend, and look forward to seeing you again in due course!