The Friends of Kettle’s Yard have a volunteer events committee which organise a varied and busy programme of events for members. Any profits go towards supporting Kettle’s Yard.

To book an event you need to download the booking form from the link on the left (or below if viewing on a mobile) and complete and return it to the address given on the form or follow the instructions in the event description below.

If you have any queries about the Friends and or the Friends events programme please email: friends@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk

Wednesday 12 February – Visit to Christie’s auction house

Sunday 15 March – Artist-led visit to ‘Travelling Companions’ exhibition

This exhibition of contrasting works by London-based Judy Goldhill and Fay Ballard explores the idea of personal belongings as ‘travelling companions to life’ which unlock thoughts, feelings and memories – as well as the notion of the skies and stars as travelling companions to explorers navigating their passage across the globe. Photographer/artist Goldhill and fine artist Ballard will introduce Friends to the themes and ideas behind their joint show at the University’s Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH). The need to come to terms in later life with the traumatic loss of a parent during childhood is a deeply personal issue linking both artists. Fay creates delicate, meticulous drawings of the family belongings she retrieved from her father, the writer J G Ballard’s house after his death. These works are contrasted with Goldhill’s greatly enlarged photographs of the night skies and the massive telescopes which enable us to look beyond this world, perhaps reflecting her quest for her absent father. The visit will begin with a talk by the two artists. After the viewing of the show, wine and soft drinks will be served.

Meet in the lobby of the Alison Richards Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DT, at 11.30 am.

Tickets including refreshments £15.

Martin Thompson, MartinLThompson@aol.com

Tuesday 31 March – Matthew Blakely – rock glazed ceramics in Japan

An illustrated talk by the distinguished Cambridgeshire potter, whose beautiful and unique functional pots are made to be handled, felt and explored. Drawing on the landscapes of Britain, Matthew Blakely seeks  new ways of looking at the land through making wood-fired pieces created entirely from rocks and minerals he collects from locations such as Cumbria or Dartmoor, so that each piece illustrates  the ceramic and geological character of that place. In 2018 Matthew spent seven weeks at the Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art in Japan. Over 500 potters live and work in Mashiko and it was for many years the home of Bernard Leach’s friend and colleague, Shoji Hamada. With access to Mashiko’s pottery workshop, Matthew worked with local rocks and clays, liaised with local quarries, visited local potters and undertook several weeks of clay and glaze tests to produce work for an exhibition and Mashiko’s permanent collection.

Meet at Kettle’s Yard at 6.30 pm.

Tickets including a glass of wine £12.50 (Friends of Kettle’s Yard), £15 (others).

Lindsay Millington, Lam189@btinternet.com

Tuesday 21 April – Vicky Ambery-Smith talk and tour at Downing

Vicki Ambery-Smith is an internationally acclaimed silversmith and jeweller who creates delicate and ornate small-scale three-dimensional jewellery and boxes, carved from silver and gold, often inspired by real and imaginary buildings, and designed to be worn and used. Her work is held in a number of collections including the V&A Museum. Recently she won a prestigious commission from the Contemporary Art Society to produce a piece, the Birmingham City Ring, for the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Vicki will give us an illustrated talk about the processes she uses and how she explores the language of architecture to create her unique structures. This will be followed by a tour and discussion by a Kettle’s Yard curator of the paintings that belonged to Alan Bowness, which now hang in Downing Master’s Lodge.

Meet at Downing Porters’ Lodge at 5.45 pm.

Tickets including drinks and light refreshments, £15.

Sally Knowles, sally@sallyknowles.co.uk

Friday 19 – Sunday 21 June 2020 – Midsummer in the Cotswolds

We will spend three days in the Cotswolds exploring art from early twentieth century Arts & Crafts to Contemporary.

The first stop on our itinerary will be Oxford Modern Art to view the exhibition of abstract wire sculptures by Ruth Asawa. We will then drive on to the Cotswolds and an afternoon visit to Rodmarton Manor, an Arts and Crafts house containing original furniture made by local craftsmen. We will have a private tour, with time afterwards to explore the stunning eight-acre gardens laid out in the original plan as a series of outdoor rooms. Our hotel for the two nights will be the Chester House Hotel in Bourton-on-the-Water (www.chesterhousehotel.com). In the evening we will have a group meal in a nearby restaurant.

On Saturday we will have a special morning tour of the Pangolin Editions Foundry (www.pangolin-editions.com), which works with leading UK artists to create sculptures in bronze, silver and steel. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the various stages of the processes involved in creating cutting edge works of art for internationally renowned artists. Our visit will finish with a visit to the attached gallery displaying works of some of the artists. This will be followed by lunch in the Woolpack Inn in nearby Slad, the village which inspired Laurie Lee’s Cider with Rosie following his family’s move there.

Our day will be completed by a private afternoon visit to Lypiatt Park where sculptor Lynn Chadwick lived and worked. His work is displayed throughout the house and grounds, together with works he collected by artists he knew throughout his career and those of his son, the artist Daniel Chadwick, who will host our visit. (www.christies.com/features/Daniel-Chadwick-Collecting-stories-9670-3.aspx)

On Sunday, before heading home, we will visit two museums focusing on the Arts and Crafts style. The Court Barn Museum collection features works by local designers and craftspeople since 1900. The Gordon Russell Design Museum is devoted to the works of the furniture designer working in the 1920s.

To apply, please complete the booking form.