The Shoosmith Gallery at Delapré Abbey 

Born in Leicestershire and based in Northamptonshire, Cate Kutas is a self-taught wildlife artist specialising in soft pastel and graphite. Her work encapsulates the balance of strength and vulnerability in the animal kingdom. 

'Drawn from the Wild' brings together a selection of recent work, reflecting a close observation of the natural world and a deep appreciation for the diversity of animal life. 

We'll also be holding 'meet the artist' days at the gallery on Saturday 18th July and Saturday 1st August. Cate will be demonstrating her techniques and offering visitors an opportunity to chat and learn more about her process. 

Entry to the exhibition is free, with works available for purchase. 

The Exhibiton is open until Tuesday 4th August 2026
 

Opening hours:

Tuesday – Friday: 10am – 4pm
Saturday: 11am – 4pm. 

Arts Society Northamptonshire Chair, Lulu Pelly, joined the Art Bytes celebration in Lincoln, one of 8 Art Bytes events across the UK on 17th & 18th June, with students and art teachers coming together to celebrate the achievements of young artists.

Pelly commented "Championing Young Arts is very important in today's challenging educational environment. At The Arts Society Northamptonshire we are extremely proud to have supported Emily Clark, Art Teacher at Northampton School for Boys, in encouraging her students to participate in the National Art Bytes competition. Culminating in today, watching Chance Enane achieve National Secondary Winner. A very proud moment for us all.”

The Art Bytes team added “A massive congratulations to both National Primary Winner, Majkl Morava from Lynnfield Primary School and National Secondary winner, Chance Enane from Northampton School for Boys it was pure joy to see the pride with which they received their prizes. As well as Majkl & Chance, we also celebrated all the runners up, first place school winners and every single child who submitted work to this year’s competition - we couldn’t be prouder of you all!”

Watch Northampton School For Boys Chance, Secondary winner receiving the news HERE and hear how important Young Art is for Emily Clark’s students.

To celebrate the opening night of 'Serendipity' Arts Society members gathered with friends old and new at the Shoosmith Gallery to experience the beautifully atmospheric watercolour seascapes of Eileen Gascoigne.

CEO of Shoosmith Gallery, Paula Allen, said "It was an emotional evening for all, with Eileen giving a touching speech about the moments of good fortune that have paved her life. Her infectious gratitude for having her first solo exhibition among the Shoosmith collection was matched only by the joy it gave us to be able to host her."

For those yet to visit, the exhibition will run until 30th June. Admission is free, and works are available for purchase.

There is also the chance to 'meet the artist' with Eileen demonstrating her watercolour techniques on Saturday 20th June from 12 - 3pm. We hope to see you there!

The Shoosmith Gallery, Delapré Abbey, London Road, Northampton NN4 8AW

Visit the website here for full details including opening times and past exhibitions.

3 DAYS FROM £699*

BOOK NOW to save disappointment and increased cost.

Included Glyndebourne opera tickets (Stalls or Circle seats)

• Two dinners included
• All excursion travel & guided tours included
• Entrance fees to non-National Trust properties included
• Blue Badge guide included on Day 2
• Executive coach throughout

THE OPERA

We have reserved Stalls or Circle seats for the Glyndebourne performance of Gioachino Rossini’s sparkling comic opera The Barber of Seville, full of wit, romance, and unforgettable melodies. It follows the clever barber Figaro as he helps Count Almaviva win the heart of the spirited Rosina, outsmarting her scheming guardian Dr. Bartolo. From the barber’s famous opening number ‘Largo al factotum,’ with its cry of ‘Figaro! Figaro!,’ to Rosina’s feisty aria ‘Una voce poco fa,’ Rossini’s comic opera is a riotously entertaining affair. More details of the performance can be found at www.glyndebourne.com

WHAT WE’LL SEE AS WELL

• Standen House & Gardens
• Brighton Pavilion
• Towner Art Gallery
• Charleston House

WHERE WE’LL STAY

We stay two nights at the Holiday Inn Brighton – Seafront Hotel (www.hibrighton.com). Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant and bar, and all of our allocated Standard Rooms are en suite and feature a hairdryer, television, telephone, and tea & coffee making facilities. A 3 course set dinner without drinks is included at our hotel on the first evening, and we enjoy a set 2 course dinner without drinks at Glyndebourne after the opera on Day 2. *Price is based on twin sharing. Single room supplement applies.

EXTRA’S TO YOUR TOUR

• Single room supplement £49
• Insurance (including Covid cover) £37
• Entrance fee to Standen House & Gardens (free to National Trust members)
• Gratuities
• Lunches

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE AND BOOKING FORM HERE OR FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL ANNE THORBURN AT: info@theartssocietynorthamptonshire.org.uk

This tour is organised for you by Tailored Travel and Anne Thorburn of NAS

ARTBYTES - PUBLIC VOTE IS NOW OPEN!

Voting is open until Sunday 19th April 2026. Everyone can VOTE for their favourite artwork from the TOP 3 selected by our expert panel of Judges

It is the public vote which determines each school's winner who then goes forward into the next round of judging to be in with a chance of becoming a regional - or even national winner!

We encourage all our members, their friends and family to join us in supporting students from Northampton School for Boys, to vote online. One email address per VOTE, so if you have several email addresses you can use each one to vote, meaning you can VOTE, several times.

Click here to VOTE, for one of the three Northampton School for Boys entries that have been shortlisted. This link take you to the browse schools page, select N in the alphabet list, then select NSB. This takes you to the NSB artworks where you can vote. Please remember to confirm your vote by following the ARTBYTES instruction.  

 VOTE today.

Art Bytes is a national art and EdTech programme for year 5 and year 9 students in all educational settings, combining an inter-school art competition judged by artists and arts professionals with a bespoke virtual gallery, augmented reality (AR) tools and in-person Celebration Events in cultural venues across England. 

It is based on 13 years’ experience in the North West and is proven to nurture talent, raise ambition and develop confidence and cultural capital, as well as support mental health and help develop vital skills for future employment.

The Arts Society is delighted to be expanding its volunteering activities by encouraging more members to offer their time and energy in advancing and celebrating the arts and heritage. As part of this, Church Recording, once again, becomes a major part of The Arts Society’s volunteering programme, alongside Arts Volunteering, Heritage Volunteering and Trails of Discovery.
 

Church Recording had ceased to be promoted by The Arts Society in 2020 following a strategic policy review. Church Recorders rallied around, forming the Church Recording Society CIO. The new board of Trustees of The Arts Society has reversed the decision and the reintegration of Church Recording into The Arts Society has been universally welcomed.

Pending reintegration into The Arts Society’s systems, Church Recording’s informative website remains searchable at: churchrecordingsociety.org.uk

For more information about Arts Society volunteering, see:
theartssociety.org/volunteering

For further information and enquiries contact:
volunteering@theartssociety.org or
churchrecordingsociety@gmail.com

A survey of the library at Althorp had been carried out in 2007 by a book conservator from Oxford.  She had recommended how the books should be stored, together with a cleaning programme and instructions on the process.

In 2008 Althorp had asked for Heritage Volunteers from the Northamptonshire Arts Society (to help in their library.  The project was authorised by the Arts Society head office and the contract for the project was signed on 20 November 2008, the description of the project being cleaning library books, listing them and doing minor repairs.

The project would be overseen by a Book Conservator and re-training for the volunteers would be undertaken every year.  The cost for this and all the necessary equipment for the project would be paid for by Althorp, the Host Organisation.  The organisation of the project was the responsibility of Northampton Arts Society. The information on the record sheets is the propery of Althorp.

The Book Conservator was Caroline Bendix from Sibbertoft, who retired at the end of last year having been the guiding light for the volunteers for 17 years and a fount of knowledge for all particular commodities in the world of book conservation.  The project was originally supervised by Ruth Grainger, the NAS Volunteers Officer, as the first project leader.

Training sessions started in 2009 with 15 volunteers but work had to be suspended in March 2010 when building conservation work prevented access to the library.  Rose Freeman, took over as project leader when the project re-started with 10 volunteers in October 2011.

When the Covid pandemic struck n March 2020, the project was postponed again. The volunteers did not get back to Althorp until 2022 with then only 3 volunteers, and a new curator at Althorp.  The project would not have been able to continue without the input and support of Jackie Blake who was part of the original team and knows ‘the ropes’; Caroline Bendix, an ex-paper conservator who repairs the books; and the support of Sofie Pedley, the Althorp Curator.

Today, the total number of books cleaned, catalogued and repaired is 8,575 with approximately 2,470 books still to do which may take another two years.

Image (left to right)

Jackie Blake 

Caroline Bendix  (specialises in books and library conservation) 

Orde Solomons (ex-wallpaper conservator for National Trust

Rose Freeman  (Heritage Volunteers lead at Althorp Library)

NAS finished its 24-25 Season in fine style with a wonderful event for members, visiting the newly opened Shoosmith Gallery which is situated within Delapre Abbey.

On the evening of Wednesday 9th July in glorious sunshine, we enjoyed guided tours of the refurbished, historic Abbey building followed by drinks and canapes in one of the beautiful upstairs rooms.

We were then treated to a fascinating presentation about the life and work of Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith & the inspiration for the Gallery.  This was given by Bushra Hamid, Chair of Trustees of the Shoosmith Gallery.   

Following this, we had the opportunity to further view the work of TLS downstairs in the gallery itself and some of us took the opportunity to wander outside around the walled garden at the back of the Abbey.

It was a most enjoyable evening and a fitting end to another successful NAS year.