Kettle's Yard Cambridge

[FranoG]

Kettle?s Yard, Cambridge, plans to build a new extension, with facilities such as a café and education room. I'm getting in touch with local groups to find out what people think of Kettle?s Yard: do you know what it offers local people? Have you visited? Do you have any strong feelings about it, positive or negative?

Do you consider yourself to be a creative person, and is art - any art, an integral part of you and your family's lives?

With funding cuts looming and public services about to be squeezed in general, we're keen to canvass opinions that can help shape the future.

It's as useful to hear from people who haven't visited, as it is from those who have...

the chamber concert series is utterly great. The building (and its contents) is awesome.

The emphasis on conceptual art drives me to despair and seems to be liked only by inverted snobs who honestly think they should be seen to think Tracey Emin is better than Michelangelo.

Try putting an exhibition of real Franz Bauer or Sydney Parkinson or D'Arcy Thompson in the exhibition space and see if you get the same hipsters turning up...

I haven't been for years, but we're hoping to get some of our service users there. Are you planning a sculpture exhibiton at all in the future?

I love Kettle's Yard, but despite this I somehow tend to forget about it. Make of that what you will, I'm not sure what the answer is. The location (which I know is fixed!) isn't good for garnering curious passers-by, and I think the entrance is a bit hard to find. The whole approach is perhaps rather daunting if you are a bit nervous about what you can see through the window, and the glories of the house are a bit of a secret. I can see that it must be a lot of work to get the word out, but maybe advertising in some new places would be a good idea. Maybe you're doing that and this is a really annoying comment. I think if there were a conspicuous entrance right through the glass frontage on Castle Hill people might feel more inclined to dip their toe into the water, but perhaps I am fixating on a detail.

I like seeing conceptual and avant garde art in a small space, so that's fine by me -- I think the Fitzwilliam covers the rest pretty well and Kettle's Yard is like a breath of fresh air in a city which has plenty to offer in the 'olden days' department.

Wonderful place, free, not sure why people don't go...

love love love Kettle's Yard, can't wait to see the John Cage exhibition. I totally agree with Heartease - it is a breath of fresh air. It always seems really friendly too, and feels very special.

DP and I both work in the creative industries and art is a big art of our family life.

Thanks for your comments - this is really useful feedback. Do you think a place like Kettle?s Yard really be a calm oasis in a city ? a sanctuary? What could make it feel like that?

Also - would you say you think of yourself as a creative person? What inspires you to be creative?