THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHLAND 
welcomes new members and guests to our 2026-2027 season starting on 8th September 2026.

Members and Guests are invited to join us for a

* * *  FESTIVE LUNCH  * * *

following the lecture and Grand Draw on Tuesday 1st December 2026
There will be a choice of:
Beef Stroganoff
OR
Mushroom Stroganoff
Followed by Tea/Coffee and a Mince Pie
£22 per person

Please book your place at the next lecture on Tuesday 10th November

* * *  FORTHCOMING EVENTS 2026-2027: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY  * * *

ADVANCE NOTICE of a SPECIAL INTEREST DAY with Sarah Dunant on Tuesday 25 May 2027:
The Second Sex: A Day On Women In The Italian Renaissance: Art And Society
Behind the Walls: Creativity, visions and horrors in Renaissance Italian convents
By the middle of the 16th century dowries in Italy were so expensive that most respectable families could not afford to marry off more than one or two daughters. The rest became nuns, entering convents at puberty and never leaving. Not surprisingly not all of them went willingly. But along with stories of enforced incarceration and horror, there was also unexpected space for creativity: art, scholarship, writing, drama and music. As well there was the possibility of another kind of fulfilment – and power – that of ecstatic union with the spiritual husband, Jesus Christ. Behind those walls a great deal was going on.  

The Creative Courtesan: the art of high class prostitution in Renaissance Italy
Titian’s Venus of Urbino is just one of a number of Renaissance masterpieces that celebrate the beauty of the female form. But who were the women who modelled for such paintings? In an age where the church demanded celibacy but turned a blind eye to chastity, and where rich high class men married late to virginal women they were not expected to be faithful to, where did all that male desire go? The answer, in cities like Rome and Venice, was the birth of courtesan culture: women as cultured, clever and fashionable as they were lovely. This lecture names names and tells stories, with wonderful images to match.

MEMBERSHIP 2026 - 2027
Membership Subscriptions £67 Single ~  £125 Double
2026 - 2027 Membership Application Form can be found in DOCUMENTS

Our e-mail address is: info@theartssocietyhighland.org.uk

We have developed close links with Schools in the area through our Young Arts Programme.