An exhibition celebrating UK wildlife, created by local primary school students around nature and rewilding.

During 2023, Keswick Museum worked with five local primary schools to create an exhibition in the Community Gallery, responding to the themes of nature and rewilding. The project was part of Art Fund’s nationwide initiative ‘The Wild Escape’ — a project that united hundreds of museums and schools in celebration of UK wildlife and creativity.

Over 150 students from across five local primary schools took part in a series of creative workshops with Keswick Museum to create The Wild Escape exhibition in our Community Gallery, which opened on Earth Day and ran from 22nd April to 24th May 2023.

Workshops

During the workshops, students were introduced to the various endangered species on display at the museum and the particular issues that each of them face in order to survive — such as intensive farming, pollution, invasive species and deforestation. We discussed what makes the perfect habitat for each creature and how vast improvements, awareness and conservation in recent years have made some animal and bird numbers grow again.

The students were tasked with choosing an animal, bird or insect and imagining it in its perfect habitat, while thinking about words that may describe that environment (how it might look, sound, smell or feel). Each student personally responded to the brief by creating their own painted canvas which were displayed alongside one another in the exhibition.

The Community Gallery is a fabulous resource, and our pupils were so excited to be able to exhibit in a ‘real museum’! It has definitely helped to foster a sense of community amongst participating pupils.

— Exhibitor Feedback

Acknowledgements

With thanks to all participating schools: Bassenthwaite School, Borrowdale CE Primary School, Braithwaite C of E School, St. Herbert’s C of E School and Threlkeld Primary School.