Echoes and Influence Challenge -Thur 26th March , 2026

Thursdsy 26th March’26 members of the Dedham Arts Society met to launch the 60th Anniversary Festival Challenge to members - “Echoes & Influences”.

Members began exploring notable artists who have influenced the region and developing their own responses. These early ideas will evolve over the next year into finished works to be shown as part of the Dedham Art Society’s 60th Anniversary Festival in 2027.

In Dedham’s heart, where the Stour flows slow,

Where Constable painted the summer glow,

The artists gather, a creative band,

To honor the masters of this fair land.

Sixty years on, since the group began,

They launch a challenge to every hand.

"Echoes and Influences" is the call,

A tribute to heritage, big and small.

Members may choose a local guide,

With research to do, and secrets to hide,

Uncovering lives, their struggle and spark,

Then making their mark, on a blank white ark.

It is for fun, in the years ahead,

Looking toward 2027 with joy, not dread,

To the grand anniversary festival day,

Where new masterpieces will be on display.

A blend of the past and the modern-day eye,

Under the wide, light Suffolk sky.

So let each artist search for the stories, the work, the style,

And walk for a while that extra mile.

Create with passion, in paint or ink,

And find the artistic, familiar link.

From Dedham’s old roots, let the talents bloom,

As the 60th Anniversary starts to loom.

By Lorraine George