The Victoria Art Gallery has celebrated the 100th birthday of one of its “Art on Thursday” club members.
Bath’s Madge Norfolk is the oldest member of the Gallery’s club which regularly offers free art talks to blind and visually impaired people. Born in Leeds on 9th March 1913, she recently joined the friends she has made at the club for a birthday cake and tea party in honour of her century.
Jon Benington, Manager of the Victoria Art Gallery, said: “Madge is a delightful lady who has been coming to our art talks for 15 years now, so it was a pleasure to celebrate her 100th birthday. She enjoyed everyone’s company and chatted with Jo Farrar, the Chief Executive of Bath & North East Somerset Council about how the Art on Thursday talks give her a greater appreciation of the Victoria Art Gallery’s unique collection and exhibitions.”
Madge moved to Bath in 1961 after living in Portsmouth, Edinburgh, Belfast and Simon’s Town, in South Africa, (where her late husband Les worked for the Admiralty, later the Ministry of Defence). She carried out voluntary work with WRVS, meals on wheels and also worked as a relief housemother in Rosemary Lodge, a care home for children with difficult family circumstances.
Madge joined a number of adult education classes, studying art appreciation, architecture and geology and was a keen member of Bathampton Women’s Institute.
She also played for Bloomfield Ladies Bowling Club and helped to set up Victoria Park Ladies Bowling Club in the 1980s where she was Captain and latterly President.
Madge’s son Neil Norfolk said: “Mum keeps her mind active by listening to the radio and audio books. She continues her education through audio courses on subjects ranging from Roman Emperors to the History of Jazz and keeps abreast of current affairs in Bath through the Month in Bath tapes.
“She is especially grateful to her ‘library lady’ who chooses and delivers several audio books every fortnight – these books take her through the ages and all over the world. She enjoys described performances at the theatre and gets a lot of pleasure from the regular talks for the visually impaired at Victoria Art Gallery.”
From April 2013, the club will become known as “Art on Monday” with the following free talks for blind and visually impaired people taking place at the Victoria Art Gallery on Mondays from 10.30am-12noon:
- 29th April – Julia Atkinson exhibition
- 13th May – Upper Gallery with Katharine Wall
- 17th June – Charlotte Sorapure exhibition
- 15th July – Bath Society of Artists
- 23rd September – William Scott exhibition
