Eight environmental artists are coming together to help the nation engage with nature by creating a riverside sculpture trail as part of the museum’s ‘River for All’ project.

The trail, which launches on 22nd June, will open up previously inaccessible woodland and rivers.

The artists were selected by the Museum of East Anglian Life, and the dramatic art installations will include a dragonfly sculpture made from natural materials, a giant 3D spider’s web and a sculpture made from drinks cans dropped in the museum’s recycling bins. All eight installations will explore the importance of maintaining wildlife habitats in rural communities.

Museum of East Anglian Life Director, Jenny Cousins said:

 “The quality of entries was fantastic, and we’re really excited about our final line up of artists for this restorative project. Their artistic visions encapsulate our aim of helping reconnect our visitors with the environment and culture, and we’re thankful for the ScottishPower Foundation’s support for this project. We can’t wait to see it come to life.”

Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said: 

“This is an invaluable opportunity to bring together incredibly talented artists to engage local people and visitors and help explore sustainability and the importance of wildlife habitats in rural communities in a really powerful way.

The use of such eye-catching artwork to share such an important message was one of the reasons we chose to fund the project. It’s truly inspiring and set to be a great addition to all the museum offers. I look forward to exploring the trail when it launches and seeing the artists’ work for myself.”

The Museum of East Anglian Life is an open-air museum located in Stowmarket at the heart of Suffolk. The museum tells stories through historic buildings, a 75-acre estate, animals, gardens and a collection of 40,000 objects.

The ScottishPower Foundation supports projects that make a positive impact on people and communities as well as helping the advancement of arts and culture, citizenship, education and environmental protection across the country. 

Photo:  Museum of East Anglian Life