Our “Autumn Term” of 2013 began on 19^th September with a visit to Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens to view “The Vanity of Small Differences”, an exhibition of tapestries by Grayson Perry. This proved to be an apt social commentary for our materialistic society and was of particular interest as one scene depicted was set in Sunderland.

     On Thursday, 7^th November, twenty three of us were fortunate to enjoy a full day at the National Glass Centre. In the morning, after coffee of course, we enjoyed a flameworking demonstration before browsing in the shop and having lunch in the brasserie. The busy afternoon proved very interesting as it consisted of; a lathe demonstration, a glass blowing demonstration, a gallery tour and a heritage gallery tour. The fact that this was all provided free of charge emphasises how lucky we are to be so near to such an important centre. A very enjoyable day!

      Twenty of our members enjoyed a very special experience when we viewed Dame Laura Knight’s exhibition at the Laing on November 21^st. Thirty outstanding portraits were on display and the group was lucky to be led round the exhibition by Jean Scott, co-ordinator of guides .This enhanced our enjoyment of the exhibition and brought the work of Laura Knight to life. The group all found much to admire in the skill, quality and beauty displayed in these paintings.