Nature Calling is a £2M ground-breaking national art programme, funded by Arts Council England (as part of the Lottery funded National Significant Project stream), the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) (as part of the Protected Landscapes Partnership) and National Landscapes in England.
Rappers OneDa, Still Shadey; artists Rob St John, Blandy and Locke, Matthew Rosier, Becca Gill; writers Louisa Adjoa Parker, Lee Nelson, up-and-coming writer Ayesha Chouglay; and collectives Sound UK and InStar are amongst those involved.
Nature Calling has its own website where you can find out more about the programme and the writers and artists involved.
Delivered with national executive creative producers Activate Performing Arts and working with writers, musicians, visual artists and theatre-makers, Nature Calling aims to inspire new communities across England to connect with National Landscapes, increasing people’s access to nature, improving their wellbeing and inspiring a sense of belonging in these special places.
Nature Calling marks the first time Defra has invested in the arts on a national scale and is the first time National Landscapes teams have come together in such numbers to deliver an arts programme.
The programme will bring together the 34 National Landscapes in England, local arts organisations and community groups from within a 30-minute journey time of their nearby National Landscape. They will work together to co-create artworks inspired by these iconic places and the results will then be shared with the public in a Season of Art from May - October 2025, reaching an audience of tens of thousands.