Kettle's Yard
Kettle's Yard
Paint What Matters
Paint What Matters
Supported by the De Reus Foundation, in S 2025 Kettle's Yard proudly presented Paint What Matters! As the first of it's kind, it exhibited a staggering 500 young artists. An inspiring exhibition showcasing artwork by young people aged 4 to 21 who live or study in Cambridge.
This vibrant display celebrated the creativity and unique perspectives of children and young people across the city.
Participants responded to an open call, submitting artwork that reflected what mattered most to them. Paint What Matters! highlighted the importance of youth voices in the arts, offering a platform for young artists to express themselves and see their work exhibited in a renowned gallery. It was a creative wellbeing initiative that encouraged participants to explore personal experiences and emotions by painting what matters to them. It supports mental health and self-expression, particularly for individuals who may not traditionally engage with the arts. Kettle's Yard Community & Learning team have been awarded a Marsh Award for Excellence in Gallery Education for Paint What Matters!
Supported by the De Reus Foundation, in S
2025 Kettle's Yard proudly presented
Paint What Matters! As the first of it's
kind, it exhibited a staggering 500 young artists.
An inspiring exhibition showcasing artwork by
young people aged 4 to 21 who live or study in
Cambridge.
This vibrant display celebrated the
creativity and unique perspectives of children
and young people across the city.
Participants responded to an open call, submitting artwork that reflected what mattered most to them. Paint What Matters! highlighted the importance of youth voices in the arts, offering a platform for
young artists to express themselves and see their
work exhibited in a renowned gallery. It was a
creative wellbeing initiative that encouraged
participants to explore personal experiences and
emotions by painting what matters to them. It
supports mental health and self-expression,
particularly for individuals who may not
traditionally engage with the arts.
Kettle's Yard
Community & Learning team have been
awarded a Marsh Award for Excellence in
Gallery Education for Paint What Matters!
Look / Make / Talk
Look / Make / Talk
The De Reus Foundation is solely funding Look/Make/Talk for the next
two years (July 2026 - July 2028),
included in this is all transportation and the full
day of activities at Kettle's Yard.
This is a
structured engagement programme which is
designed for young children aged 4-11 years to
deepen understanding of art through discussion,
hands-on making, and reflection.
The vital support provides over 1000 primary
school children access to visit Kettle's Yard and
take part in an amazing immersive opportunity.
Previous years have shown that many of these
pupils were visiting an art space for the first
time.
The programme was set up in response to the
cost-of-living crisis and significant impacts felt
in schools and communities following the
COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in
additional pressures on school budgets. The
knock on effect has meant that less pupils were
able to visit cultural organisations. Thus, the
funding provided endeavours to alleviate any
financial constraints and allows the visits to
occur. The feedback so far has been amazing and
no doubt will only get better as the programme
continues.
ABOUT THE GALLERY
Kettle's Yard is The University of Cambridge's modern and contemporary art gallery. The De Reus Foundation has played a key role in supporting innovative, community-focused programmes here, supporting award winning education and community programmes.
AT KETTLE'S YARD
Bridges Project
Seeing the Unseen
'Seeing the Unseen' was a collaborative creative project created with young carers through Centre 33. The project formed part of the Bridges programme at Kettle's Yard and explored the question: "What and where do we connect to?" The aim of the project was to connect communities through shared creative activity. It brought together participants from different backgrounds, fostering dialogue, inclusion, and a sense of belonging through art. One of the key outcomes of the project was the creation of a space where participants felt safe, recognised and able to be themselves. They described the importance of having a sense of safety and said they felt seen and heard. These young carers, help care for physically and mentally disabled siblings and parents and have a great deal of pressure in their home lives.