Visual Artworks
June 2026
June 2026
“This is Home” is the theme of a national open call for artists delivered by Kendal Pride in partnership with Abbot Hall and Lakeland Arts.
The theme sits at the heart of Kendal Pride’s wider ethos of “Pride done differently”, encouraging artists to explore home in ways that are personal, complex and sometimes unexpected.
Two artists were selected and commissioned to develop artwork for the festival and exhibition programme for the month of June.
The selected artists, Mathew Wayne Parkin, and Miles Dyson are based in the North of England. Each resonated with the theme in different ways. Working across drawing, painting, moving image and sculptural installations. Their work reflects a range of lived experiences from intimate explorations of identity and belonging, to broader reflections on place, visibility and community.
What does home mean to you?
For some, it’s a place. For others, it’s a feeling, a memory, a body, or a community. It can be something we return to or something we are still searching for.
You might see echoes of your own experiences here or encounter perspectives different from your own. The exhibition is an invitation to consider what it means, and who gets to feel at home.
These artist commissions have been supported using public funding through a project grant from Arts Council England.
The exhibitions are available to view in Abbot Hall for the whole of June 2026, so pop along any time Wednesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm.
Abbot Hall gallery admission is half price on Saturday 13 June.