logo 
The York Art Workers' Association is an eclectic group of
craftsmen, artists, conservators, academics and others who share a serious
interest in the arts. Members represent architectural craftsmanship, other
applied arts, all fine arts, architecture and conservation. We welcome not only practitioners in these
fields, whether amateur or professional, but anyone with a keen interest or
appreciation of art and design. We exist
to extend and share our knowledge and experience through a widely varied
programme of monthly talks, normally on the first Monday of the month (doors
open at 7pm, meetings start at 7.30). We also organise occasional courses, workshops, outings and
social events. Our talks are open to anyone.
We meet at Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road, York YO23 1NX. There is parking at the church, on nearby streets and in the local car park by the shops, a few minutes' walk away. There is cycle parking too and it is on a bus route. There is level access and the meeting room is on the ground floor.
Admission: members £3, non members £7.
There is no need to book - please feel free just to turn up!
If you would like to know more about the association, please email info@yorkartworkers.org.uk, or come to the next meeting; we will be very pleased to see you.
Andrew Burton is a professor of Fine Art at Newcastle University, Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors, and a member of the International Academy of Ceramics. His large, varied and imposing work can be seen on public display across the country and his work has been shown internationally since 1990. Recent projects in India, China, and Korea have focussed on the use of brick and other retrieved material in outdoor sculpture. He transforms such source material through a series of forays and experiments involving process, material, and collaborative work. His work,based on his impressions of landscape and architecture,emphasises the sculptural possibilities of everyday objects.
"My work situates sculpture and installation in relation to historic sites, landscape and architecture. I take an experimental approach to materials and processes, combining materials traditionally associated with sculpture such as clay with other materials that are more ephemeral – like plants, or embodying impermanence in the way the sculpture is made. Recently, I’ve been working in Africa collaborating with artisans and traditional craft workers as well as other artists. The work we have made occupies a territory between art, craft and the day-to-day object and is characterised by the centrality of the human hand in the making process.” (2021)
https://sculptors.org.uk/artists/andrew-burton
In 2017 Phil Thomas and his husband bought Knedlington Old Hall, built between 1649 and c.1660, near Howden. Having been "ruthlessly modernised" by the previous owners, Phil has used his extensive knowledge of architectural history to design and then commission skilled craftsmen to restore the house to close to its original layout. He will explain the process and ongoing work in this private tour.
Knedlington Old Hall is a small East Yorkshire gentry house, built on a very ancient site between 1649 and c.1660 for a locally prominent Puritan family. It may be no coincidence that its construction neatly spanned the years of the English Commonwealth. Subsequently, several locally prominent families have lived there. Most unusually for a non-aristocratic house in the region, it is built in a high-status and expensive mixture of brick (then a relatively unfamiliar material) and limestone to an advanced square, double-pile plan, detailed with care and some theatricality. A little later in the seventeenth century the interiors were enriched with panelling and handsome fireplaces. At the same time, the extensive and unusual farmstead complex around the Hall began to take its present form and a new entrance gateway was constructed.
In 1964 and later, the Old Hall was ‘modernised’ in the inappropriate materials generally used at the time. The present owners (one of whom is a former Chair of the YAWA) have worked to undo almost all of these damaging changes in breathable materials, to convert the impressive garrets into a modern library, and to create a garden and garden structures appropriate for a prominent seventeenth century house. They are about to begin repairing and conserving the most significant outbuilding in the farmstead complex; a dovecote, stable and scullery probably built in the mid-1770s.
Directions for visitors: From York and the North: Take the A19 south to Barlby Roundabout close to Selby.Turn left (signposted M62 E, M18, Hull Howden A63) and follow the A63 for about 8 miles. Drive past the first turning for Howden, and the road will bear to the right. At the next small crossroads, turn right towards Asselby and Barmby. You are now in Knedlington. The Old Hall is on the right in half a mile, at the far end of the hamlet. The drive is immediately before the house.
Where, when and how much?
We meet at Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road, York YO23 1NX. There is parking at the church, on nearby streets and in the local car park by the shops, a few minutes' walk away. There is cycle parking too and it is on a bus route. There is level access and the meeting room is on the ground floor.
All events are on the first Monday of the month unless otherwise stated.
Events start at 7.30pm. Doors open at 7pm – please aim to be seated by 7.15pm.
Admission: members £3, non members £7. Half price for students. The fee for membership for 2025 is £22
Membership and programme enquiries to: info@yorkartworkers.org.uk
© Copyright | York Art Workers Association | All Rights Reserved | By Pinnacle Web Design