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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)
Unfortunately, Belinda May, the puppet maker and performer, is unable to come to speak to us.
We are very pleased to welcome
Alison Duddle
Artist and director of
A Bird in the Hand Theatre
"Uncanny life"
Alison is a visual artist based in West Yorkshire who specialises designing, making and creating performance using puppets and masks. Her work spans visual theatre performance with the legendary Horse + Bamboo Theatre, creating giant puppets for outdoor spectacle, making masks for film and TV and teaching around the world, most recently in Kenya.
In this talk she will show many images of work, bring examples of puppets and masks in a variety of materials, and talk about her artistic journey as well as her process in creating. There will be many opportunities for questions, and also getting hands-on with some of the objects she will bring.
https://www.abirdinthehandtheatre.co.uk/
Monday April 13th
Andrian Melka
Andrian is a British-Albanian figurative sculptor. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana during the student revolts that sparked the fall of communism and was schooled in the socialist realist tradition. He found inspiration in the rich heritage of classical and Renaissance sculpture and is best known for his figurative work in marble and stone - most recently carving a bust of the Japanese ballet dancer, Fumi Kaneko, a principal with The Royal Ballet. Andrian will talk about his work to date and share his approach to modelling in clay when creating bronze and ceramic figurative sculptures in comparison with carving in stone and marble.
www.instagram.com/melka_sculpture/
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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
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