History of Royston Arts Society
How it all Began
The history of Royston Arts Society starts in 1978 when Edwin (Gary) Grimaldi was horrified to find that there was nothing going on in the art scene in Royston. Gary had previous experience of setting up art exhibitions in Britain and Europe and he advertised for like minded people, with a view to encouraging aspiring artists in the town. Sylvia Jordan and Harold Perrett were the only ones to respond initially, but they soon gathered a small group together and Sylvia offered her home as a venue for painting sessions. The Society became official in 1979, with the grand total of 24 members. By 1980 the group had grown to 52 members, and the first Exhibition was held, showing 300 paintings. The Preview was attended by 60 invited guests and opened by Mayor Mrs Pat Rule.
Norman Taylor joined the Society soon after its formation, and Gary and Norman became the leading lights. They undertook the huge job of making our exhibition screens themselves. Gary and Norman built up the Society and steered it through its early years to its present popularity and eminence in the town. As many past members will know, their relationship was not always harmonious, but we have both Gary and Norman to thank for laying the foundations of the Society we have today.
The End of an Era
The death of Norman Taylor in 1997, and our President and Founder Edwin (Gary) Grimaldi in 2001 brought to an end the first episode in the history of the Royston Arts Society.
In 2003 we celebrated 25 years with a trip to Winsor and Newton, and Harrow School, and a 25th Anniversary Dinner at the Old Bull Inn, Royston
The Autumn Exhibition Goes From Strength To Strength
The outdoor exhibition which used to be held in Church Lane was eventually abandoned after several years of bad weather. It is now held in Royston Town Hall. The Annual Autumn Exhibition, held since the second year of the formation of the Society, has evolved into a prestigious event in the Royston calendar and a key event in Royston Arts Festival.
Ongoing Exhibition in Royston Library
The Royston Library building was completed in 1987. Shortly afterwards the then Librarian, Jeremy Haslam, agreed to host an on-going display of paintings by RAS members. The display screens were donated in memory of RAS Member Ian Gavine and it was called the Gavine Gallery. Royston Arts Society paid for the screens to be replaced when the library was refurbished in 2014 and the RAS Library Exhibition has remained a popular attraction for over 30 years. The Covid pandemic closed the exhibition in March 2020 and we were not able to reopen until October 2021.
There are usually about 40 paintings displayed on four screens. The Library looks after the sales in return for a modest commission.
1996 Afternoon Sessions Commence
Evening painting sessions became less well attended, and it was decided to change to afternoon sessions on Tuesdays. This proved to be a huge success, and by 2008 numbers attending had grown so large that in spite of using the Committee Room and Room 11, we were cramped for space. The Market Hill Rooms had just been refurbished, and proved to be just what we needed. A spacious and well lit hall, and a large kitchen which also gives us room for a good sized store cupboard.
The Members’ Exhibition
A smaller exhibition, for RAS members only, was started in 2012 by the then Chair, Val Pettifer. The first three were held in the Tavern Galleries, Meldreth which we “borrowed” during February. It then moved to Val’s Old School Studio for a couple of years. It finally moved to the Royston and District Museum and Art Gallery. In 2020 and 2021 the Covid restrictions prevented us from holding any exhibitions so we developed the skills to stage online exhibitions. This was a great success and we plan to hold all the future Members exhibitions online. It allows us to display a lot more paintings and reaches a much wider audience.
The Young Artist Awards
RAS celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2018. Rather than simply having a party we thought it would be more appropriate to stage a new event – the RAS Young Artist Awards. We held two events in 2018 and 2019, then Covid came along!
Organised by local artists, Stacey Leigh Ross and Rachel Haynes, we received a lot of support from local and national businesses and organisations. We encouraged local artists aged 16 – 26 to enter a painting into the competition. The first prize was a cash sum of £100 plus a solo exhibition at Curwens Gallery. All the winning entries were also displayed at the RAS Autumn Exhibition.