The Society was founded in 1972 by Henry Wilson (Harry) Bracken (1920-1998). Harry was the local postman and encouraged others to take up the brush. Although he described himself as a “Happy Amateur”, he was also a well-known artist, who exhibited widely as far afield as the Royal Institution of Watercolour painters in London, and at the Paris Salon.
In those days the main activity of the Society was to meet on Tuesday afternoons and drive out to picturesque viewpoints within a 10-mile radius of Sedbergh in order to paint together. An annual exhibition mostly featured these paintings. During the winter a programme of monthly evening meetings was arranged, at which there were talks or demonstrations on various artistic topics.
Nowadays members meet for indoor Painting Days, where we are free to pursue our own projects, or Workshops run by visiting professional artists. These take place on Saturdays from 10am - 3pm, on average every three weeks in the Cornerstone Church Hall in New Street, Sedbergh. Usually we number about 15 people each time. Go to ‘Saturday’ on the menu for more details including dates, prices and contact details.
There is also an additional Wednesday Afternoon Group from 1.15pm to 3:30pm, held in the People’s Hall, which runs throughout the year with a break for the school holidays. Go to ‘Wednesday’ on the menu for further details.
Each August we hold a very popular annual exhibition, in the historic Sedbergh School Library. Members display the exciting range of pictures they have been creating over the past year. Pictures and greeting cards are for sale.
Our Founder, Harry Bracken, would be delighted to know that the Sedbergh and District Art Society is still flourishing more than 50 years later!