Each year members of the Youth Volunteer Interpretation Programme (VIP) work together on an ambitious project to interpret and reimagine our Collection from the perspective of a contemporary young audience, finding new ways of telling our story and inviting audiences to see the Collection a little differently.
This year our Youth VIPs created their very own modern, mini Dulwich Picture Gallery Collection. A body of work they titled The Art of Feeling.
Through guided tours, and after-hours exploration of the Collection, the group learned more about the Gallery, it’s history, and the paintings that make it so alluring.
They were tasked with curating a list of must-see works. Their choices were bold, sometimes surprising, and deliberately uninfluenced by the Gallery’s current presentation. Not today, Girl at a Window!
With expert advice from Curator Dr Lucy West and the guidance of Artist Charlotte Cranidge, the Youth VIPs each selected the work they felt exemplified the star quality of the Collection and stood out as our must-see piece.
Through a variety of mediums including sculpture, sketching, painting and embroidery they each created their own artistic response to the works, resulting in a mini Dulwich Picture Gallery collection of 14 works they name The Art of Feeling. It was exhibited at the Gallery in May 2026 alongside the historic originals.
By responding to works that stood out to them, the Youth VIPs are inviting audiences to see the paintings in new ways. Some of their responses were abstract, some like-for-like replicas. Some of them chose to insert their own likeness into the original piece, and some were captured by single details within some of our masterpieces. Their combined interpretation of the Collection resulted in a thoughtful and highly skilled display, a modern version of the historic paintings which inspired them.
The group meets every month in the Gallery's Art Studio to learn about, and take inspiration from, their chosen pieces, and to work together in creating their artistic responses. We were thrilled to be joined this year by a talented Artist Facilitator Charlotte Cranidge, who steered the group in their decision making, designs and in crafting their final pieces.
Our thanks, and our biggest congratulations to all of this year’s Youth VIPs, Chloe G, Daria S, Eliza F, Ella B, Elsie M, Isabella, Isabella C, Lily Bo., Lily Be., Mariella, May W, and Samuel W, for developing and displaying an exhibition of great ambition which captured the heart of our historic Collection so beautifully.
Each artwork created by members of the Youth VIP that featured in the Art of Feeling display can be seen below.
