Our aim of encouraging a love of art and providing an opportunity for everyone to recognise and develop their individual talents has been an unbroken theme since we first formed in 1944. Find out more about our history.

Now more than 70 years later, we are still a forward looking and friendly art society open to both amateurs and professionals. Saturday meetings take place at our base in Walberton and feature a varied programme of demonstrations, presentations and critiques from respected local artists. Some members start early by meeting up in the pub at lunchtime before the meeting. Visitors are very welcome to come along and see what we do. Our workshops are excellent value and themes generally follow on from the demo. They are a good opportunity to try new techniques and to get to know people in an informal setting. Many people like to take advantage of the networking opportunities for sharing ideas and information, organising sketching groups and visiting exhibitions. If showing your work is important to you then Downland exhibits twice a year in one of the best locations in the area, the Norfolk Centre by Arundel Castle.

With well-known local artist and teacher, Marcus Finch as our President, Alison Woodward, a Senior Lecturer at Chichester University as Chairman and an enthusiastic Patron in Diana Levantine, Chairman of the Sussex Snowdrop Trust, not to mention an energetic new committee, Downland Art Society is well set up to continue to go forward as it has done since 1944 as a leading resource for art in the area.

See our events programme for details