A recently discovered archive shows that the club was started as Wymondham Art & Crafts Society in 1979 by local enthusiasts, with meetings first held in an upstairs room at the Queens Head then at The Abbey Hall. We now meet at the RC Church Hall on Norwich Road – a modern spacious venue with plenty of parking at the venue and nearby car parks. Membership numbers have fluctuated over the years, but now stand at a healthy 70 plus.

In the early days Annual Exhibitions were held at the Assembly Rooms in Norwich, but the increased hiring costs necessitated a move to Wymondham Abbey. Our current exhibitions – in 2024 it will be in the last week of August – are held in the beautifully refurbished Becket's Chapel.

The old records show details of outings, events and demonstrations and amazingly enough, an outdoor exhibition at the White Hart pub! Some decades later, we have a permanent gallery of paintings, by kind invitation of the landlord Kieran Bullen, in the dining room of the White Hart. The popular display is changed quarterly to reflect new and seasonal works of art and is all for sale.

2023 was a very successful year of monthly meetings with demonstrations by professional artists and our exhibition, attended by the Mayor of Wymondham and her deputy, was very well attended. A particularly popular meeting featured the curator of the Munnings Museum in Dedham who talked about the renowned local artist and his links to royal patronage.

Our 2024 programme has something for everyone, including some new demonstrators and some familiar friends, with a good mix of subject matter and use of mediums; oils, watercolours, pastels, inks. We meet at 7:15 pm on the first Wednesday of every month except January. Meetings are free to members and cost £5 for guests – all are welcome.

The opening session on Wednesday 7th February is a portrait in pastel by Liz Balkwill using a live model. In July, Margaret Glass, one of the leading pastellists of the day will paint a sky and river scene and later in the year, Dr Rosy Gray, the curator of contemporary art at Norwich Castle Gallery, will give an illustrated talk on the Singh Twins, who recently exhibited at the Castle to much acclaim. Our full programme is included on our website wymondhamart.org. For more information please email the secretary, Judith Munks.