Events and outreach
We hold a variety of events to promote awareness of, and access to, contemporary arts and culture; and to bring our community together in a space where everyone’s voice can be heard.
We believe that art itself is, by nature, a conversation. It is the audience that gives it voice: that brings it to life. Our events are always conversations, rather than static presentations. Art is for everyone, so the conversation around it should be for everyone, too.
Events for children and young people
Our gallery and exhibition space invites art lovers of all ages: we are keen to hear from the next generation of creatives and cultural ambassadors! We strive to make our exhibitions and events accessible and engaging for all generations, with an emphasis on active participation. Our regular visitors include students, retirees and families.
We are always looking for innovative ways to make the contemporary art world a welcoming (and exciting!) space for children: from hanging paintings at a lower eye-line, to setting up Easter egg hunts among the artworks.
While the safety of the art, and naturally of our visitors, remains paramount, our gallery is not a museum: there are no stanchions, no red velvet ropes and no glowering security guards to harangue children who get too close.
We believe that education should be an adventure: at its heart, it’s about the joy of experimentation and discovery. We want to enable children to discover the art world for themselves.
Events for artists and the creative community
We hold regular events with our represented artists, enabling them to share their work with the wider gallery community, receive constructive feedback and build relationships with fellow artists.
We recognise that the artist’s life can be a solitary one: we aim to support and empower our represented artists, many of whom are returning to professional practice, or are under pressure to balance their creative pursuits alongside other commitments, such as raising a family. We provide artists with a space to speak, to listen, to think and to collaborate.
Our events are invariably well attended by local creatives: from Cambridge Open Studios in particular. While we work closely with our group of represented artists, we are open to any opportunity to support local talent, champion emerging voices and make the art world more accessible!
Events bridging art and academia
Our highly international community of art lovers and cultural advocates spans the worlds of academia, music, science, technology and even healthcare. Our network of dedicated supporters includes experts at the very top of their field, from architects and art historians, to computer scientists and engineers: these connections enable us to bring the best of contemporary arts, culture, research and ideas to our local audiences on a regular basis. Interdisciplinarity is one of our core values: we want every one of our events to contribute to expanding the cultural conversation, enriching it with different – and perhaps less frequently acknowledged – perspectives.
Art makes students of us all: our gallery is a space for everyone to listen, rather than lecture; and be curious, rather than complacent.
We are a small (but committed) organisation with a small (but historically significant) space. Through our events programme – and the wonderful community it has enabled us to build – we have become part of something much bigger. Our local audiences can join in a global conversation.
Multi-arts, multi-sensory and accessible events
Inclusivity through innovation! As part of our focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, we work with creatives from a variety of fields – incorporating a variety of artistic media – to develop pioneering multi-arts, multi-sensory experiences.
It’s a focus that marries especially well with our mission to make the art world more accessible! After all, art enjoyed with all the senses is truly art for everyone. Recent events include a collaborative workshop with the Bell-Ringers of St Clement’s, who composed a piece inspired by our exhibition at the time; and an interactive ‘Coffee and Conversation’ morning with one of our represented artists, who brought a vast assortment of sketches and experimental work for attendees to handle, encouraging them to observe the different weight, texture and even smell of each medium.
We appreciate that the world of contemporary art can seem a formidable prospect to the uninitiated. Our visitors are free to find their way as it suits them, whether that be through an existing interest or passion (like music), a particular sensory experience or a shared piece of history.
