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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 to just 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.
Download a PDF of this year’s programme here - for more information on each speaker please see the Events Calendar
Speaker images 2026:Tony Ovenell (February), Thin Ice Press (June), Megan Barnett (December)
Andrian Melka (April), Claire Wellesly Smith(October), Alison Duddle (March), George Willmore (September)
David Mayne (July), Richard Kitchen (May), Rose Ferraby (November)
Monday 5th October
"I shall talk a little about the Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers and what we do but mostly about the early history of textiles and especially the preparation, spinning and weaving of wool before the industrial revolution, with a demonstration of the preparation and spinning of wool on a spindle and wheel and weaving on a simple loom.
https://yorks-guild-wsd.org.uk/
Rose is an archaeologist and artist based in North Yorkshire. Her work often explores the relationship between people and landscape through time. She is interested in how creative practice can be used to communicate subtle understandings of archaeology to wider audiences. She works across painted collage, printmaking, illustration, film and sound, and has been commissioned by projects and organisations including the British Museum and Ulster Museum, and she has curated ‘Downland’ at the Wiltshire Museum. Rose also works on nature recovery projects. Communication is at the heart of Rose’s work, ranging from creating artwork, illustrating and designing books, writing,and broadcasting for BBC Radio. She has created work for museums, heritage organisations and research projects, and is an experienced leader of creative workshops with adults and children. She is interested in how to tell different stories about the past; how to inspire people and create ways in which they can imagine past and future worlds. She enjoys collaborations that bring together different skills,research and approaches.
Rose’s work is trans-disciplinary, drawing on research and practice in archaeology, geology, ecology and nature recovery, and art. She uses these skills together to carry out a range of ongoing research projects and commissions. These include work with Knepp Wilding, Hepple Wilding, the National Trust, and the National Museum of Northern Ireland. In 2025 she will be creating and curating "Downland: art and the archaeological imagination" in Wiltshire at the Wiltshire Museum, Devizes. She has a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology (University of Cambridge), an MFA in Illustration (Edinburgh College of Art) and a PhD(University of Exeter). Rose is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. https://roseferraby.com/
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 2026-7 is £22
Membership and programme enquiries to: info@yorkartworkers.org.uk
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