Special Events

Centenary Birthday Party

We return to our home at the Art Workers Guild, after a break of two years, with an event to celebrate a hundred and one years of the Master Glass Painters with a sparkling reception, buffet dinner, birthday cake and with Alf Fisher and Peter Cormack as our keynote speakers who will share their knowledge of our rich history. Peter’s talk will be ‘Reflections on the Past and Future of British Stained Glass’, and Alf will talk about ‘Memorable Characters in the Society and how we have Faced Changes.’

The event will include a raffle to raise funds for the AGBI. The Artists General Benevolent Institution was set up by the painter JMW Turner to support artists who have fallen on hard times. It is more relevant than ever in the current climate. The raffle will have prizes for stained glass lovers and tickets are available here for those who can’t attend.

So dust off those glad rags and dress to impress and join us for a fun evening to reunite with old friends and with our stained glass community.

Friday 1 July 6.15pm at the Art Workers Guild. Tickets £38.25 for members (£45 non-members). You can add an additional donation to the AGBI as you check out of the shop. Your donations, however small, are very gratefully received!

Spaces are limited and selling fast. Book now to avoid disappointment as bookings can’t be taken on the day.

New Year Dinner in Aid of the Artists General Benevolent Institution

Our biannual New Year dinner is a fundraising event in aid of the AGBI, an institution set up by Turner to support artists who have fallen on hard times. There will be a raffle with prizes relevant to the stained glass world. This is a great chance to mingle in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere with others who share a passion for stained glass.

Andrew Taylor will give a short talk on his visit to the extraordinary hidden building, mainly known as ‘Colin’s Barn’, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire. Colin Stokes was a sheep farmer and also a member of the BSMGP. In 1980 he began to make a rectangular grain store. Starting without a prepared drawing he began to build it stone by stone using Cotswold stone he found around his farm.  But something amazing and wonderful grew over the next 11 years.  In Colin’s own words ‘I think I just got a bit carried away really’.