The Observer Book Club | Thursday 21 May | The Royal Society of Arts 📚
Join us for a discussion of Braver New World, the new book by award-winning journalist @kampfnerjohn . He will be joined by former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and @theobserveruk Editor-in-Chief James Harding.
Braver New World explores how countries across the globe are responding to today’s most pressing challenges, from inter-generational care in Japan to solar panels in the Sahara creating clean energy.
Together, they will discuss what we can learn from these global examples, and how such ideas might help us build a better society.
Free tickets via link in bio 🔗
The Hidden Cost of Forever Wars. Exposing the carbon shadow of conflict.
For decades, the global climate conversation has ignored one of the most explosive sources of CO₂ on Earth: the astounding carbon footprint of conflict.
Following his groundbreaking TEDx Talk, Ali Borhani FRSA exposes the hidden “carbon shadow” of modern conflict.
Chaired by Daisy Carter, Head of Strategic Programming at the RSA, Borhani presents the case for a Global Conflict Carbon Compass & Pricing (GC3P) - a radical new framework designed to measure, price, and ultimately reduce the emissions generated by war.
27 May | 6pm | Royal Society of Arts
Limited free tickets available via the link in bio 🔗
15 May 1991, Washington DC.
More than 100 Fellows gathered at the Library of Congress for the presentation of the Benjamin Franklin Medal to David Attenborough for his outstanding contributions to natural history, broadcasting and public education.
The medal was presented by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, then President of the Royal Society of Arts. 🏅
Speaking at the ceremony, Prince Philip reflected on Sir David’s “great talent for communication”, adding:
“He makes the complex intelligible and the intelligible fascinating.”
Later that day, a dinner for Fellows and their guests was held at the Smithsonian Castle, where Sir David was guest of honour and guest speaker.
The Royal Society of Arts is now live on @bloombergconnects , the free arts and culture app featuring museums, galleries and cultural institutions from around the world.
Explore James Barry’s monumental paintings, virtual house tours, past exhibitions, archive treasures, botanical drawings, lifesaving inventions and more.
Download the app via link in bio 🔗
How can creativity help communities shape the future of their borough?
Meet Emily: creative producer, designer, proud East Londoner – and #RSAJournal’s most recent NextGen Fellow.
From early years music programming to workshops imagining a more sustainable Newham, Emily’s work is rooted in creativity, community and public service.
Read more of Emily’s story on RSAJournal+ at the link in our bio 🔗
On Wednesday we welcomed acclaimed royal biographer Robert Hardman to the Royal Society of Arts for an evening exploring the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II.
From her favourite Prime Ministers and royal tours to Hollywood, politics and the people who could call her by her first name, the conversation offered a fascinating insight into Her Majesty’s life and reign.
Watch the full event replay via link in bio 🔗
🗓️Save the Date
'Illuminated' Private View
🗓️9 June
🕰️ 6-9pm
📍The Royal Society of Arts, 8 John Adam St, London, WC2N 6EZ
🔗RSVP via our link in bio
Artwork 'Pond I' by @manonsteyaertart
Join us for the private view of our first ever summer show at the Royal Society of Arts @thersaorg a new fixture in London's cultural calendar.
'Illuminated' is the first of these annual summer shows at the RSA, celebrating its history as a space for artists and thinkers to exchange ideas and shape the future.
'Illuminated' invites contemporary artists to respond to themes of Enlightenment, social value, and collective progress—the foundational principles upon which the RSA was established. It also evokes the light and optimism of summer, when this exhibition will take place.
This is NOT an auction, marking a new chapter for AOAP Projects. The works will be on view for sale at The Royal Society of Arts from the 10-23rd June, as well as being available for sale on our website.
Artists in this exhibition receive 50% of sales. After years of generously donating their work to our auctions, this new format ensures artists are directly supported and paid for their practice.
Like everything we do, this exhibition is a celebration of the small and accessible - all works are created at an intimate scale (no larger than 7 × 7 inches), spanning painting, photography, sculpture and more.
This inaugural exhibition brings together an international group of contemporary artists, featuring established names & rising stars alike.
Come and celebrate this new cultural moment with us at the private view.
🖼️ 'Illuminated' AOAP Projects Summer Show at The Royal Society of Arts
🗓️ 10 – 23 June, 2026
📍 8 John Adam St, London WC2N 6EZ
🎨 Works on view at The RSA | Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm
🔗 PV - 9th June 6 - 8pm - link in bio to RSVP
#aoapprojects #summershow #contemporaryart #londonart #smallart
Wishing Sir @davidattenborough a very happy 100th birthday today.
Sir David has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts since 1987, and we are proud to celebrate his remarkable contribution to broadcasting, education and the natural world. 🌏
He joined the BBC in 1952 as a trainee, having only ever watched one television programme. During his time there, he went on to oversee Europe’s first colour broadcasts.
He later became one of the most recognisable and distinctive voices in the world, a voice familiar to generations of viewers. An estimated 500 million people watched Life on Earth, the first global natural history series filmed entirely in colour. 🐋 🐢
In 1990, Sir David received the RSA’s Benjamin Franklin Medal. Reflecting on the award, he said:
“I have spent my life watching, discovering and wondering and I have tried to share this with others. Education is not confined within the boundaries of school and scholarship which is why I am particularly pleased to receive this medal from the RSA which, since Benjamin Franklin’s time, has promoted the principle of learning throughout life.”
📸 Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Emily Hana is an Australian artist based in London. She moved to the UK in 2016 to pursue a career in the arts, working for several years as a senior printmaker at Thumbprint Editions, where she produced work for some of the world’s leading contemporary artists.
During the pandemic, while on furlough, she began developing her own painting practice.
What started as quiet experimentation gradually evolved into a distinct sculptural style.
Unable to afford traditional materials, she turned to the streets of London, collecting discarded wood and teaching herself woodwork, laying the groundwork for her current approach to painting as a physical, constructed medium.
Join us for an artist talk to celebrate the opening of the Simulacrum exhibition on Tuesday 12 May.
Reserve your space via the link in bio 🔗
The Observer Book Club | Thursday 21 May | The Royal Society of Arts 📚
Join us for a discussion of Braver New World, the new book by award-winning journalist @kampfnerjohn .
He will be joined by former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and @theobserveruk Editor-in-Chief James Harding.
Braver New World explores how countries across the globe are responding to today’s most pressing challenges, from inter-generational care in Japan to solar panels in the Sahara creating clean energy.
Together, they will discuss what we can learn from these global examples, and how such ideas might help us build a better society.
Free tickets via link in bio 🔗
A breakout year. A sell-out show. And now @francesfeatherstone is coming to @rsahouse .
We visited Frances at her studio in Groombridge, Sussex, for RSA Journal to talk about her intimate ‘angel’s eye view’ portraits – paintings that invite us into domestic worlds of stillness, reflection and retreat.
This month, those intimate worlds are coming to @muse_rsahouse , where her new exhibition opens on 7 May.
Read the full story on RSAJournal+ via the link in bio.
Founded in 2007, @printclublondon is a screenprinting studio and contemporary online gallery based in Hackney, East London.
Famed for their annual Blisters screenprinted poster show, they are known for championing emerging artists alongside established names on the same platform.
They recently took over our Muse Bar at the Royal Society of Arts, showcasing work by over 30 artists. 🖼️
Keep an eye out for more upcoming exhibitions 👀
