The Great Fen Exhibition

A touring art exhibition of fenland habitat and wildlife by internationally acclaimed artists was on display at Peterborough Museum during April and May 2007.

 

The exhibition celebrates the visit of Artists for Nature Foundation (ANF) an international group that aims to raise awareness of endangered landscapes and promote important conservation projects through art to the Great Fen Project area during 2004 and 2005.

 

In the first venture of its kind in the UK, artists came from all over the world to visit the Great Fen and produced a rich collection of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures depicting the local wildlife and communities. 

 

Inspired by the potential of lowland England's most ambitious habitat restoration effort, the Great Fen Project, the artists produced work that highlights the riches that exist in the remnants of fenland.  The artwork includes field sketches of birds and other animals, detailed botanical and entomological studies, landscapes that are instantly recognizable and landscapes that are almost abstract, sculptures using scrap metal found in the area, and transient paintings of dragonflies on bog oaks dug from peat.  Featured artists include Andrea Rich (USA), Carry Akroyd (UK) and Vadim Gorbatov (Russia), along with many others.

 

- HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

 

The paintings are on sale, with a percentage of the sale price going directly to the Great Fen Project.

 

The artwork is also featured in a new book, published in August 2006 The Great Fen: Artists for Nature in England.  The book was reviewed in The Guardian in November 2006 as a strong contender for "the best natural history book of the year".  The book is priced at £35, with a percentage going directly to the Great Fen Project.  This book is available by mail order from the Wildlife Trust on 01954 713500.

 

The Great Fen Project, one of Europe's most important conservation initiatives, will restore 3,700 hectares of wetland habitat between Peterborough and Huntingdon by connecting Woodwalton Fen and Holme Fen National Nature Reserves.  This project aims not only to protect the existing wildlife and enhance the habitats, but will provide a massive greenspace for people, with a wealth of possibilities for recreation, education and social and economic regeneration.

 

The Great Fen Project received royal approval earlier this week when HRH The Prince of Wales visited Woodwalton Fen to learn about the Project.  Actor, author and comedian, Stephen Fry, is also President of the Great Fen Project. 

 

The Great Fen Project is a partnership between the Environment Agency, Huntingdonshire District Council, Natural England and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough. 

 

For more information on The Great Fen Project please the visit www.greatfen.org.uk or call Chris Gerrard, Project Manager, on 01954 713500.

 

For more information on Artists for Nature Foundation please visit www.anf-yb.nl; telephone +31 645 681 253 (765 fax) or email: y.brouwers@planet.nl.