Are you staying in Cambridge this summer, or coming back early before Michaelmas term begins? Do you want to get involved in the local art scene, or just have some time to spare? Here are ten events and activities you can get involved in this September:

Botanic Garden Photography Competition

The International Garden Photographer of the Year competition has collaborated with Cambridge's Botanic Garden for a fifth year running. This year, their theme is “Around the World at Cambridge University Botanic Garden”. Photographers are encouraged “to capture the essence of global biodiversity within the Garden and the ways the Garden reflects the world’s landscapes.” It’s free for all to enter, and doubly affordable when you get free entry into the garden with your Cam card. Need more encouragement? There are prizes available for the winners, including having your image on display in the Botanic Garden next year! But hurry – entries close at midday on Thursday 4th September.

Lecture on Lubaina Himid

If you’re missing the routine of termtime lectures, have an interest in contemporary art, or want to learn more about the current ‘Another Chance Encounter’ exhibit at Kettle’s Yard, then you might want to attend the lecture by Dr Dorothy Price. The professor of Modern and Contemporary Art and Critical Race Art History will be speaking for just over an hour on the evening of Wednesday 10th. The usual £12 entrance fee is halved for students, so it’s a prime opportunity to learn about “one of the UK’s most renowned and celebrated contemporary artists”, if you can spare the time away from summer reading!

“You can spend two hours making your own poem by choosing words which speak to you from a range of pre-loved textual materials. Then, decorate it however you want”

Black out poetry workshop

Just one evening later (11th), join a peaceful garden session creating black out poetry. With no materials or artistic experience of your own required, you can spend two hours making your own poem by choosing words which speak to you from a range of pre-loved textual materials. Then, decorate it however you want! With a convenient location near the Grafton centre, feel free to let your creativity run wild and your artistry bloom. You could even make some new friends to take into the next academic year.

Kettle’s Yard guided tour

For anyone who wants to know more about 20th century art, or a behind-the-curtain look at Kettle’s Yard, this might be the one for you. From 11am-12pm on Saturday 13th, the house will be hosting an introductory guided tour, led by one of their own experienced Visitor Assistants. Will it be reminiscent of the ‘open house’ shown to students by the original owner before giving it over to the University in 1966? Or will it be something new, artistic, and equally exciting?

Wild walks in the Botanic Garden

On the 15th September, the early birds among you can indulge in a guided tour before the gardens open to the public. “Each walk highlights seasonal species, ... offering insight into their identification, ecology and distribution”, as well as the history of the folklore and use of wildflowers. You could use this privileged time to test your photography skills, draw the flowers, or to take a moment to breathe in the morning air.

Illuminated manuscript reading group

As part of this year’s Art History Festival, the Fitzwilliam Museum will be facilitating a group discussion with Dr. Annouchka Bayley (Faculty of Education) on the link between literature, humans, and the natural world. Through beautiful illuminated manuscripts, it aims to “bring to life rich examples of literature from the museum’s collection.” If you want to think about the Art History Festival’s 2025 theme of ‘art and nature’ both then and now, then why not give this a go? It’s on the 18th at 1pm and tickets are free.

“A perfect opportunity to draw objects you may never have seen before”

Whipple Scribble event

If you’re free on the evening of the 18th and want to get creative in a new environment, the Whipple Museum is open late for a relaxed evening of sketching “among telescopes, globes, and centuries-old scientific instruments.” It’s their third time running this event, so it’s likely to be a success: a perfect opportunity to draw objects you may never have seen before, surrounded by like-minded people. Freely open to all artists, scientists, and newbies alike.

Bridging Binaries LBGTQ+ Tour

Anyone with an interest in LGBTQ+ stories or Ancient Mediterranean art will be in safe hands with this free tour of the Museum of Classical Archaeology on the 19th (although I am a biased Classicist). Your volunteer guide will take an hour to show you their favourite objects from Ancient Greece and Rome, all centered around challenging binary approaches towards gender and sexuality. They are passionate, personal, and insightful accounts of artworks which transcend modern labels and categories. I would encourage anyone to go.

Botanic Garden trails

The Botanic Garden has a variety of trails and maps which allow you to explore the garden in your own time this summer, with one which may be of particular interest to any budding artists. Dyes from plants will show you the gardens in a new, colourful light. Learn which plants have coloured your clothes and your paint, as they have done for thousands of years, as well as some examples of artworks which use these dyes.

Art on museum walls

In a “subversive collaboration” between the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and its patrons, the once-white walls of the top floor now display a collection of drawings and comments on the objects. Under the theme of human migration, “People and Stuff” shows the views of everyday people as expressed by graffiti right beside the sometimes-controversial objects. In one section, there’s even an argument: can you find it? Plus, if you ask the right person, you may be able to add to the discussion yourself. This exhibit doesn’t threaten to disappear when September ends, but there’s no time like the present to explore the ever-evolving work.

Have fun, expand your horizons, and enjoy exploring the Cambridge arts.