The Arts Society, founded as The National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) in 1968, was created to promote and advance aesthetic education, to cultivate the appreciation and study of the decorative and fine arts and to support the conservation of our national artistic heritage. The Arts Society Bury St Edmunds has been a member society since 1991 and is a Registered Charity.

Our core activity is a programme of lectures on the second Tuesday of the month. These informal occasions are always well attended and cover a hugely diverse range of subject areas, as you will see by visiting the Lectures section. Many members also stay on after lectures for a cup of tea and a chat.

All our speakers are experts in their field (many are nationally or internationally recognised) but we also choose them for their ability to bring their subject alive through energetic presentation and with illustrations of the highest quality.

As well as the lecture series, we organise occasional Study Days to allow us to consider a subject in greater depth and we take outings to historical and cultural venues. An annual 4-6 day UK or overseas tour is popular with members and we enjoy a Christmas lunch together.

Our programme gives members many opportunities to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and visit new places.

You can find out more about all these events in the various sections of our website.

The Arts Society Bury St Edmunds also works to support related activity in the field of the Arts and the section on volunteering tells you more about our support for Young Arts, Church Recording and Heritage Volunteering.

We hope that you can find what you want on the site but if not please do let us know - we will be happy to answer any questions or point you in the right direction.