Young talent shines at Hatton Gallery in HAPPY! exhibition inspired by Jerwood Collection

Newcastle University’s Hatton Gallery has partnered with Jerwood Collection to present HAPPY!, a major new exhibition opening on 14 February 2026. This exhibition has been curated with the gallery’s young people’s group, L-INK, consisting of members aged 16 to 24 who worked closely with the Hatton Gallery team.

Jerwood Collection is an esteemed collection of Modern and Contemporary Art, offering L-INK a unique opportunity to engage with significant works by prominent artists, including Gillian Ayers RA, Yinka Ilori, Eva Rothschild, Alan Davie, Alex Clarke, Hannah Bays, and Nicola Bealing.

In shaping this exhibition, L-INK focused on how artists develop their practices through various pathways, including formal and informal education, as well as personal life experiences.

Julie Milne, Chief Curator of Art Galleries at North East Museums, said: “The renowned Jerwood Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art has provided the inspirational opportunity for L-INK, our young people's group, to curate an exhibition which explores the joy and challenges of creativity. Selected school groups have also taken up the themes and produced their own art works in response to key art works in the collection. Set within the Hatton Gallery known for the experimental art teaching methods and art exhibitions of Victor Pasmore and Richard Hamilton, this wonderful exhibition is an education and inspiration to us all.”

Sara, a member of the L-INK group, said: “The Jerwood Collection has brought L-INK such a nice opportunity where we got to move out a bit of our comfort zone in terms of exhibiting and curating our own projects throughout the years, meaning that we not only are developing our skills but also expanding our own experiences. The collection itself is rich and full of potential for a great outcome and we have been lucky to get to work with it, especially when it comes to the Hatton Gallery because as a historically significant space for the contemporary art world it is the best place to have this exhibition and I am glad to be part of it.”

Lara Wardle, Executive Director & Trustee at Jerwood Foundation, said: “HAPPY! reflects the Jerwood Collection’s commitment to meaningful engagement with modern and contemporary art. Inspired by Victor Pasmore’s pioneering 1957 Art Education Exhibition at the Hatton Gallery, this project places young people at the centre of curatorial thinking, encouraging learning through making, questioning and experience. We are delighted to work with L-INK and Hatton Gallery on an exhibition that brings works from the Jerwood Collection into dialogue with new generations of artists and audiences.” 

The exhibition also features the works of young artists at different stages of their artistic development, paying tribute to Victor Pasmore’s experimental 1957 Art Education Exhibition at the Hatton Gallery. For this project, three classes, each from a different North East school, Archibald First School, St Paul’s CofE Primary School, and St Mary’s Catholic School, have collaborated with the Hatton Gallery on an in-depth exploration of select artworks from the Jerwood Collection. The artworks created by these students will be exhibited alongside the pieces that inspired them.

The exhibition will be shown across three galleries, with galleries two and three dedicated to works from the Jerwood Collection.

HAPPY! is open from 14 February 2026 to 9 May 2026, Monday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm. Entry is free. Visit the Hatton Gallery website for more information: https://hattongallery.org.uk/    

communications@northeastmuseums.org.uk

About Hatton Gallery

Hatton Gallery has been at the heart of cultural life in the North East since the early 20th  century. The gallery has a dynamic and illustrious history, unique in its relationship to the Fine Art department at Newcastle University.  

The Hatton’s collection includes works from the 14th century to the present day, and the gallery’s only permanent display, Kurt Schwitters’ Merz Barn Wall, was brought to the gallery in 1965 and incorporated into the fabric of the building.    

In October 2017, the Hatton underwent a £3.8million redevelopment supported by National Lottery Players through the Heritage Lottery Fund. The redevelopment allowed the Hatton to upgrade exhibition spaces, restore architectural features, conserve Schwitters’ Merz Barn Wall, as well as improve visitor facilities. The Hatton Gallery is managed by North East Museums on behalf of Newcastle University.  

About L-INK 

L-INK are a group of young people, aged 16 – 24, who work with the Laing Art Gallery and Hatton Gallery to collaborate, co-curate, produce events, work with artists and create artworks. In the past, L-INK have worked on facilitated projects with gallery staff, and have had the opportunity to meet artists, curators and different gallery teams; they have explored collaborative practice, exhibited their own artworks and offered creative interpretations of works on display. 

Hodgson Sayers sponsor North East Museums young people’s programme. 

About Jerwood Collection 

The Jerwood Collection of Modern and Contemporary art has been acquired during the last 30 years by Jerwood Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts in the U.K.. Originally displayed on the walls of the Foundation’s then office in Fitzroy Square in London, the focus of the Collection is now to provide public benefit through its active exhibition and loaning programme.   

The history of the Jerwood Collection reflects, in part, the wider story of Jerwood itself and, as with most private collections, many works have a personal significance. In the first years of collecting Jerwood Foundation Chairman Alan Grieve CBE (1928-2025) was guided by the Jerwood Advisory Board and the late Sir Peter Wakefield (Director, National Art Collections Fund, now the Art Fund) who suggested some early key purchases including, Sir Frank Brangwyn’s From my Window at Ditchling, bought in 1993. 

Through its promotion of a broader understanding, interpretation and enjoyment of modern and contemporary art, an important part of Jerwood's philanthropic mission is delivered by Jerwood Collection, which holds a significant number of paintings, works on paper, sculpture and prints by artists such as Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Barbara Hepworth, John Piper, Stanley Spencer RA, Barbara Walker and Rose Wylie RA. It continues to grow with new acquisitions and donations under the direction of Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee.