On a rainy Sunday evening in March, rather than making the trek to Sunday Kiki’s, I spent my time at the final evening of Robinson’s art festival, looking at student artwork carefully laid out in curated clusters around Robinson’s long, narrow chapel. Wandering idly amongst the vaguely churchly and equally hypnotic ‘soundscape’ emanating from the large speakers near the organ, I locate the work which is later to become the recipient of The Warden’s Prize: Gabriella Sheward’s Captured Pigeon. I am struck by its confident, impressionistic brushwork and its ability to make the most pedestrian and mundane of creatures appear heroic and sympathetic.
Earlier in the week, I spoke to the organisers of this yearly event, which began in 2024, about the theme – ‘passages’ – and their view of the arts culture at Cambridge’s newest college. We meet in the Red Brick Cafe and I am told by the president, Anisa (third year, English) about the fantastic ‘sweet treats’ the cafe has to offer. We are also joined by the vice presidents Izzie (third year, English) and Jules (third year, History and Politics).
“I am struck by its ability to make the most pedestrian and mundane of creatures appear heroic and sympathetic”
They had originally intended to name the exhibition ‘connections’ but after feedback from Sir Richard Heaton, Robinson’s Warden and an important contributor to the event, they arrived at the theme ‘passages’ when looking through their old exam papers on poetry. Anisa explains that, “He expresses his opinions and he was pretty unimpressed with connections, he thought it was wishy-washy.” They stress the value of having a Warden who cares about the visual arts. In fact, the Warden’s Lodge houses Heaton’s extensive collection of modern art: “Lots of people go as Freshers […] his art collection’s very much public,” Izzie remarks.
The exhibition is interspersed with professional work taken from this collection but the emphasis remains on student work. “We accepted every submission we had which I think has meant that there’s a range in skill set but not in a way where works are looking bad next to each other. They’re all good but they’re all very different,” Anisa tells me. Mediums ranged from film and photography to collage and painting, with interpretations of the theme varying from the literal – one of the paintings depicts the passage-like entrance to Robinson college – to a more loose reading of the theme, as with the winner. The organisers admit that many people had already made their pieces before they knew the theme; Anisa argues that this "makes people think about work that’s already been made and how it subconsciously or consciously fit into this theme and it means some of the interpretations are more interesting.”
A judging panel, including members of the committee, the Warden and two History of Art academics (Dr Rachel Coombes and Iheanyi Onwuegbucha), met twice to discuss a shortlist and then decided on the winner. Jules recalls how it was "really interesting to talk about it with three people who know a lot about art and hearing their different opinions. And everyone did have very different opinions about what worked and what didn’t and what worked with the theme and what was a bit of a reach and the ways in which materials were used.” Initially the judging criteria involved a numerical rating system but “the Warden was hovering yet again and was like ‘this is a bit restrictive’ and I agreed with him on that,” Anisa states diplomatically. It is clear the Warden was very involved in the event and the organisers are keen to express his role in encouraging the festival. “He’s been a really good patron […] it’s been essential really to making it happen,” Izzie remarks.
All Cambridge students are familiar with the mandatory, oversized oil paintings of founders and patrons hung ostentatiously in colleges’ formal halls and Robinson’s is no different. “They’re just hung randomly and they’re quite bad and the wall space is massive but it’s been curated so badly,” Anisa exclaims, describing how this is indicative of the approach of displaying art at Robinson. “It makes you realise when you go round the older colleges and they’re beautiful […] every college has to have a collection of art that has some sort of meaning and Robinson is just quite new and it hasn’t found its footing with it yet" She does, however, note that this is perhaps not the most pressing issue: "the college is sinking or something so there’s more important things going on right now!” They are more positive about Robinson’s quirky architecture, with Izzie describing the chapel’s striking stained-glass window as “the nicest piece of art the college has”.
“In such an academic institution, art and creative pursuits are so often seen as a frivolous pastime”
Alongside the exhibition, a series of creative workshops were run at the college, including an animation workshop led by Robinson alumnus Freddie Dobbs, who contributed to the festival during his time at Cambridge and is now a freelance animator. They also organised a life drawing session in collaboration with ARCSOC at the Architecture department, which featured an interpretive dancer, who thankfully was wearing clothes. “It was completely flipping life drawing on its head,” Izzie explains. Having attended, I can confirm it was a unique experience and I appreciated the challenge of attempting to draw someone who was constantly in motion; the idea of transience often comes up within the theme of ‘passages’ and is explored in several of the works in the exhibition. Jules, who also went to the life drawing workshop, observes that “having always done a lot of art and being creative before coming here, I found it really just so great to feel creative again and just kind of make art with no pressure on it and not feeling like there’s other things I should be doing with my time or that it’s a waste of time.”
In such an academic institution, art and creative pursuits are so often seen as a frivolous pastime, so it is encouraging to see other students who see value in art as a pursuit in mindfulness. “It’s a bit of a testament to the fact that Cambridge can take stuff out of you, like creative instincts and hobbies,” Anisa comments. I don’t get the sense that the organisers arranged this event out of the ubiquitous third year CV panic. It seems that they are genuinely passionate about art and appreciate attending a college where creativity is fostered by workshops, exhibitions and accessible art collections. Izzie, reflecting on the workshops they ran, notes that “having that two hours set aside, you know it’s going to begin and end, being guided through it is a really good way of relaxing […] and having that just in college as well is a privilege”. Our interview ends on Anisa’s fateful words encouraging people to come along: “The weather will be nice enough”.
Robinson Art Festival ran from 6th-8th March 2026 at Robinson College Chapel.
