OXFORD BURY KNOWLE ART GROUP 'EXHIBITION AND SALE FOR OWNS'

Dear Readers,

Hope you’re having an incredible weekend! Please, if you love Art and Exhibitions, don’t hesitate to come and admire the extraordinary paintings on show at NEW ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH, BONN SQUARE, in the heart of OXFORD.

WHERE

HISTORY (from The Church website)

‘Baptists first began to meet together in the mid-1650s, generally in the homes of their members.In the early 1700s they joined with other Dissenters and began meeting on the present site of New Road Baptist Church. The members issued a ground-breaking Church Covenant in 1780, describing themselves as ‘a Protestant Catholic Church of Christ’.In 1798 a new two-storey building was erected. This forms the core of the church building as it now stands. Major enlargements and improvements to the building took place in 1819 (at which point the pillars and architrave on the front of the church were added) and again in 1982 when the striking central cross was installed. The developments of 1982 included the creation of a suite of rooms extending over four floors and the creation of a “coffee shop”, known as The Mint House because of its proximity to the location of Charles I’s Royal Mint in New Inn Hall Street. This Mint House building was also the site of the original Quaker Meeting House in Oxford, first established by Richard Bettris (c. 1606-1682), a dissenting colleague of the first pastor Richard Tidmarsh.

WHEN

OCTOBER 26TH-28TH

WHAT

Art exhibition and sale in aid of the OXFORD WINTER NIGHT SHELTER in order to help give a homeless person the Xmas present of a ROOF over their head instead of sleeping in the street .

WHO

The Group first met at the Bury Knowle Library in 1948. The first Chairman was John Henry Brookes who was the first Principal of the Schools of Technology Art and Commerce in 1934 which eventually became Oxford Brookes University.

John Henry Brookes, of Oxford Brookes University fame, felt that local artists would benefit from meeting together. In 1948 he invited local artists to meet in Oxford’s Bury Knowle Library at Headington. These meetings quickly became the Oxford Bury Knowle Art Group.Seventy-five years later the current members meet in The Ferry Centre at Summertown. To mark this milestone anniversary they would like anyone connected with OBKAG’s history to contact them.

THE ORGANISER

Exhibition organiser Jean Wykes said “We believe that OBKAG is one of the oldest artists’ group in Oxford and has a completely open membership. We still meet every month. Our members create paintings using many techniques and on a wide range of subjects. This will be reflected in our 75 Anniversary Exhibition.” “We believe that our group’s history is important for Oxford’s artists” Jean continues. “If anyone is a former member of OBKAG, or knows of one, we would be very happy to hear from them and give them further information about our Exhibition in October.” (from OBKAG website)
The Deputy Lord Mayor James Fry opens the 75th Anniversary Exhibition