Pennine Prospects

Inspired by landscape Artists and Writers announced!

Left to right: Andrew McMillan, Char March, Angie Rogers, Sally Barker, Simon Warner

We are pleased to announce that five fantastic artists and writers have been appointed to undertake forty day residencies as part of the three year Watershed Landscape Project. Our year residencies with artist Sally Barker and writer Andrew McMillan have begun so watch this space for more details. In year two, artist Angie Rogers and writer Char March will be taking inspiration from the landscape and in year three we will be joined by photographer and filmaker Simon Warner.

More than a million people live in or around the South Pennine uplands yet they feel remote, wild and exhilarating and have inspired artists and writers over generations from the Brontes to Ted Hughes; from Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth to Joseph Pighills.

The artists and writers selected offer an exciting range of artforms including sculpture, poetry, printmaking, photography, writing and painting.

As well as being supported to develop their own practice and create new work in photography, literature and the visual arts the artists and writers selected for the residencies will be working with a wide variety of community groups, schools and families within the South Pennines through creative and inspiring workshops.

For many, the uplands are an exciting place to be explored on foot, bike or horseback but for others it might seem like a wild and unfamiliar environment. Through this series of residencies we hope to encourage and support a number of new groups to explore the landscape through art and literature. New Work created by the artists and writers over the next three years will be celebrated in Museum, Gallery and community venues across the region.

As part of the Inspired by Landscape project in early 2011 we will be launching a year long open photography competition to encourage both beginners and those with more experience to get out into the watershed landscape and snap away. The competition will culminate in an exhibition of the winning shots at Manor House Museum, Ilkley in 2012.

Partners so far include the Elmet Trust, Bracken Hall Countryside Centre, Bronte Parsonage Museum, Saddleworth Museum.