Lecture | Dancing in the Dark; a War Artist's Journey

- 6pm to 8:30pm | Mall Galleries

Tickets £25, early booking is advised

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Challengers' Crashing Out, 2007, Iraq
Challengers' Crashing Out, 2007, Iraq

To tell the story, you've got to take risks

Arabella Dorman - War Artist

The Inaugural TL Shoosmith RBA Memorial Lecture

The President and Council of the Royal Society of British Artists present

Dancing in the Dark; a War Artist's Journey

given by Arabella Dorman, War Artist

Arabella Dorman is an award-winning artist, whose work explores the realities of modern conflict, its immediate impacts and long-term consequences, and the light that can be born out of the darkness of war.

Wednesday 5 March 2025

6.00 to 6.45pm: Reception and private viewing of the RBA Annual Exhibition 

6.45 to 7.30pm: Lecture

7.30 to 8.00pm: Q&A Session

8.00 to 8.30pm: Another opportunity to view the exhibition

How to Book

Tickets £25, early booking is advised.

The ticket price includes refreshments.

About the Speaker

Arabella Dorman is an internationally renowned artist. Dorman has painted members of the Royal family, senior military personnel and other high profile individuals.

As an officially accredited British war artist, Dorman has worked across the Middle East since 2006. She has been embedded with the British Army in Iraq (2006) and Afghanistan (2009-2013). Her humanitarian work has taken her to Gaza, Palestine and Israel (2017), Lebanon, Syria (2018) and most recently, Ukraine (2023).

About the Sponsor

The Shoosmith Gallery is a registered charity with the objective of bringing public awareness to the watercolours of Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith (1865-1933), and his sister Fanny Violet Shoosmith (1871-1925).

'Thursie' and 'Vi' as they were known to their friends, were 'self-taught' artists, visiting many scenic settings across Britain to sketch and paint. Thursie also visited many villages and towns in continental Europe to sketch and paint, during the tranquil period leading up to the First World War (1914-18). He was appointed as the first President of the Northampton Town and County Arts Society and elected to the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) in 1919.

A small collection of paintings by Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith will be on view during the evening.

Under a Sheltering Sky 2006 Iraq jpg

Images © Arabella Dorman

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