We’re thrilled that Activate Performing Arts has been shortlisted for next month’s Arts Professional Awards in the ‘Excellent Partnership/Collaboration’ category for their work with us on Nature Calling – a landmark project that brought together environmental, cultural and community organisations with artists to connect a wider and more diverse range of people with protected landscapes through creative practice.
Families visit Cerne Abbas as part of the development of 'Consequences' by Radical Ritual for Dorset National Landscape
Nature Calling
Developed in response to the Landscapes Review 2019, Nature Calling addressed the call for greater inclusivity within protected landscapes. The partnership secured highly competitive funding from Arts Council England, alongside match funding from Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) through the Protected Landscapes Partnership – the first time Defra has invested in a national arts programme of this scale.
At the heart of Nature Calling was a collaborative model that brought together national leadership with local delivery. National Landscapes teams worked alongside locally based arts organisations to produce outstanding creative experiences for local communities. Six commissioned writers and six commissioned artists worked in selected National Landscapes across England: Chilterns, Dorset, Forest of Bowland, Lincolnshire Wolds, Mendip Hills and Surrey Hills, with a further 18 National Landscapes commissioning smaller scale pieces.
Each partner brought expertise to the project. The National Landscapes Association and the regional teams contributed deep knowledge of place and environmental priorities. National Executive Producer partner Activate brought artistic leadership and expertise in creative engagement – with our distinct specialism of bringing art into the landscape.
Kerenza McClarnan, Arts Development Manager at the National Landscapes Association said:
“I am thrilled that Activate Performing Arts has been nominated for this Arts Professional award, recognising the close partnership with the National Landscapes Association to deliver Nature Calling. It’s a real testament to why strong partnerships are so important to enable cross-sector working and bring together new audiences.”
Family workshop with Gwyneth Herbert as part of 'View In View Out' for Mendip Hills National Landscape
Nature Calling’s impact
Nature Calling demonstrates the power of partnership in delivering significant and measurable impact. Over 8,000 active participants engaged in workshops, discovery walks and creative sessions with artists and National Landscapes teams; live audiences exceeded 55,000; and the digital reach surpassed 550,000, amplified through national platforms including BBC Countryfile and The Guardian. Crucially the programme succeeded in reaching new and underrepresented audiences: 34% of audience members were from diverse backgrounds, 24% identified as disabled and 21% came from low-income households.
Through poetry, sound, visual art, storytelling and film, thousands of people experienced meaningful connections with nature – many for the first time. The partnership between the National Landscapes Association and Activate Performing Arts made Nature Calling a successful programme that brought together environmental and cultural organisations in a shared mission. The programme enabled knowledge exchange, the sharing of expertise and reached new audiences historically underrepresented in protected landscapes. It demonstrates how genuine collaboration can transform both people’s relationship with nature and how organisations can work together to serve their communities.
The Award
Kate Wood, Executive and Artistic Director, Activate Performing Arts, said:
“We are so incredibly pleased to be shortlisted for this inaugural award from Arts Professional. We really value the relationships we have with our partners in Nature Calling – the National Landscapes Association, the many National Landscapes, arts producers, artists and community groups. This is brilliant news.”
Activate are one of four shortlisted organisations in the ‘Excellent Partnership/Collaboration’ category. The result will be announced at Arts Professional’s Business Summit on 13 May. We have everything crossed!
