Published: Tuesday, 21st March 2023
Gallery Oldham has announced that it will be joining The Wild Escape, a major new project uniting hundreds of museums with schools and families to find nature in museums.
Led by national art charity Art Fund and with support from Arts Council England, hundreds of museums, galleries and historic houses are coming together for the largest ever collaboration between UK museums.
As part of The Wild Escape, Gallery Oldham is asking Oldham residents to take part in a large-scale floral display workshop called GO Bloom on Earth Day (22 April) 2023 at 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.30-3.30pm. Artist Ruth Moilliet will demonstrate how to recycle plastic materials and create beautiful three-dimensional flowers from plastic sheets. The flowers will then be included in an installation in the foyer of Gallery Oldham as part of Ruth’s ‘Devotions to the Goddess Flora’ exhibition from 24 June until 7 October 2023. GO Bloom workshops are free but booking is required via Eventbrite.
More than 90 children from Horton Mill Primary School will be visiting Gallery Oldham before Earth Day to make recycled plastic flowers at GO Bloom workshops which will also be part of the art installation. GO Bloom workshop attendees will be able to collect their flowers at the end of the exhibition and take them home.
Before Earth Day, Gallery Oldham is collecting 1 litre and 2 litre plastic bottles and colourful plastic carrier bags, mailbags and food bags to be recycled into the GO Bloom flowers. The more colourful the better as we want brightly coloured soft plastic carrier bags, frozen food bags, bread bags and plastic mail order bags for the flowers. The bags and bottles need to be clean and washed please!
Taking place from January to July 2023, The Wild Escape invites children to picture the future of the UK’s wildlife through the art in museum and gallery collections. The art children create will be brought together in a collective work of art that imagines a better future for the wildlife on our doorstep, launched online and in museums on Earth Day 2023.
The Wild Escape is an opportunity to join the urgent conversation about climate crisis and biodiversity loss and look for nature positive solutions, in partnership with leading environmental charities the RSPB and WWF and cultural organisations National Trust and English Heritage.
The Wild Escape is inspired by Wild Isles, a landmark BBC series exploring the flora and fauna of the UK.
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said: “I'm thrilled that Gallery Oldham is joining hundreds of organisations from the Outer Hebrides to Folkestone to connect thousands of children with the natural world through the UK’s truly great museums. Thanks to the invaluable support of Arts Council England, the Wild Escape will empower families and children across the UK to visit and discover our wonderful museums, whilst taking positive action to picture a better future for our wildlife."
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture, said: “GO Bloom is an excellent opportunity for the residents of the borough to create some fantastic art for free and see it on display at Gallery Oldham. At Oldham Council, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact so it is great that this project will recycle plastic instead of it going to waste.”