Get involved with The Great Escape

Art Fund, the UK charity for art and museums, has launched The Great Escape – a new programme exploring the biodiversity of our landscape.

The Great Escape is a new initiative inviting museums, galleries, and historic houses to host primary schools’ workshops and contribute to a UK-wide work of art by young people that shows their vision for the biodiversity of our landscape, culminating with activities across the UK on Earth Day weekend (22-23 April 2023).

The idea behind The Great Escape is simple. Young people aged 8-11 are invited to find a work of art, or exhibit in a museum, gallery or historic house that features any form of creature living in the UK – bird, badger, or butterfly – look at it carefully, learn about its habitat and then imagine it escaping from the frame, springing to life, and returning to its natural habitat.

Who can get involved?

Museums of all sizes, no matter how big or small, are welcome to participate – Art Fund are working to create resources to get everyone
started, using storytelling and creativity to explore curriculum topics such as habitats, humanities, and the climate crisis, and thinking about how collective action can make change. Lesson and workshop plans are available which can be edited locally, delivered with Art Fund support to engage artists and creative practitioners.

Why get involved?

The Great Escape will focus and enhance museums’ learning and engagement work and is an opportunity to make new connections with primary schools. There are exciting collaborations with high-profile partners from within and outside the cultural sector too.

The human impact on our planet, and the impact of Covid on our schools, teachers and young people are challenges on a scale that requires us all to work together, find common ground to share ideas, expertise and resources. The Great Escape aims to expand networks and create partnerships that contribute to the sustainability of what we do.

How to get involved

Click here to register your interest with Art Fund for regular updates and workshop invitations>>

The series of online workshops have been designed to provide updates on the project, discuss a topic to help you carry out The Great Escape at your museum, connect you with other museums who are signed up, and provide time to answer any questions you have for The Great Escape team.

Click here to find out more about events taking place on 27 September, 2 November and 7 December>>