We are looking to commission writers and artists to take part in a brand new £2M ground-breaking national project called Nature Calling.
We are seeking an exceptional, diverse range of artists to explore and celebrate nature and our National Landscapes (formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty – AONBs), for a programme that culminates in a season of art between May and October 2025.
Nature Calling is a nationally significant partnership project funded by Arts Council England and Defra (Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs), as well as National Landscapes in England (34 in total). Partners include the National Landscape Association, Activate Performing Arts, Poetry School, the six regional National Landscapes that will act as ‘hubs’ (Chilterns, Dorset, Forest of Bowland, Lincolnshire Wolds, Mendip Hills and Surrey Hills).
The aim of Nature Calling is to listen to our communities and ensure our landscapes are a place for everyone. It will engage new audiences across England and inspire the whole National Landscapes family, whilst bringing the special qualities of our National Landscapes to the fore. Each of the 34 National Landscapes in England will work collaboratively with their local communities, with key activity taking place at the 6 National Landscape hubs.
We are now inviting applications for commissions, one per hub National Landscape.
Writing Commission
We are inviting proposals from published writers from any writing discipline – poetry, song, prose, rap; ideally you will be new to nature writing and with some connection to one of the National Landscapes. You don’t need to be based in the landscape you are choosing to pitch for, or to be born there, but we would like you to have some connection to the place and a genuine interest. We are seeking new perspectives of nature, place and people.
We want to commission you to come to the specific National Landscape, visit the place, meet the people and write a piece, distinctive to it. Your writing will then be used as the inspiration for a project commission that could be any art form – it might be dance, theatre, installation, digital, or music for example. The period of engagement will be Summer 2024. We are looking for a higher number of writers from the global majority.
Find out more here.
Deadline: Midnight, 24 May 2024