An admissions ceremony is one of the most important in any Livery Company calendar, when we welcome our new Liverymen and Freemen. Those being admitted declare an Oath of Allegiance and sign the register before being presented to the Master to receive their certificates. As is our custom, new Freemen will give a short narrative about themselves and their connection to the decorative arts.

Once the formal part of the evening has been concluded there will be a reception culminating at 9.00 pm.

The Arts Scholars are pleased to announce another in their series of Fish and Chips Lunches. These offer a perfect opportunity to meet fellow Arts Scholars and get to know each other in a relaxed and informal manner.

The Pocket Lunch is the annual event at which members enjoy a convivial lunch and bring along a small work of art for circulation and discussion with their fellow diners. This is a perfect opportunity to meet other Arts Scholars in a relaxed and informal manner.

Speakers will include: Paul Crane, Anne Rogers Haley, Robert Wilde-Evans, Roy Sully, Julia Korner and Timothy Schroder. Subjects include: Porcelain services showing Nelson’s battles and Merton place; Nelson’s jewel - Chelengk or Plume of Triumph; Orders & medals of Lord Nelson; Nelson’s Column; Marine paintings of Nelson’s battles; Nelson’s tomb, St Paul’s.

A reception will follow.

The Arts Scholars are pleased to announce another in their series of Fish and Chips Lunches. These offer a perfect opportunity to meet fellow Arts Scholars and get to know each other in a relaxed and informal manner.

Please note: Guests may be invited to this lunch.

Arts Scholars Freeman David Glasser is Chair of the Trustees of the Ben Uri Museum, which specialises in works by artists of European Jewish descent. In 2017, realising that their small size made an increased physical presence unrealistic, the Museum set out to seismically change their operating model to achieve greater potential. In creating Benuri.org, they repositioned themselves as the first full scale virtual museum and research centre. David will explain how this approach saw engagement levels increase to 100 times the 2019 physical visitor traffic.

The Master Arts Scholar, John Spanner TD, invites members to join him at the Company’s Annual Banquet, which will be held at 6.45 for 7.15 pm on Monday 31 January 2022 at Plaisterers’ Hall, in the presence of The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress.

Join Director of the Foundling Museum, Caro Howell, Foundling Museum Patron and Arts Scholar, Jim Moyes and his partner, Rebecca Poulet, for a fascinating visit and a reception with champagne and a selection of canapes.

The Museum will be open only to the Arts Scholars and their guests on the evening. We are invited to visit the entire museum, and Caro Howell and her colleagues will be offering guided tours at 6:45 and 7:15.

J.M.W. Turner is renowned for his art but less known for his profound interest in architecture. Going someway to redress the balance, Arts Scholar Mary Rose Rivett-Carnac will recount how Turner designed his own rural retreat called Sandycombe Lodge, an architectural gem near the River Thames. The lecture explores Turner’s longstanding interest in architecture as revealed in his paintings, the story behind Sandycombe Lodge and the unexpected findings made during its rescue, after suffering decades of neglect, and before re-opening to the public in 2017.

The Arts Scholars have secured privileged access to an early preview of 'Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution’ at the V&A, an exhibition dedicated to the legendary St Petersburg jewellers. Arts Scholar Cynthia Sparke will be giving a unique introduction to the exhibition, after which members will have an opportunity to view objects by the House of Fabergé illustrating the firm’s meteoric rise from conventional jeweller to legendary purveyor of Imperial eggs.

N.B. Registration opens on 1st Oct 21