UK museums ask for children to inspire action through art

By Esme Stallard

Climate and Science Reporter, BBC News

Hundreds of thousands of children will create wildlife artworks at 500 UK museums to raise their awareness of the threat to nature and the environment.

FKA Twigs is one of the artists who will then recreate the children's pieces for a mass digital artwork.

The Wild Escape will be the largest ever UK museum project.

It is inspired by BBC One's new series Wild Isles with Sir David Attenborough, which will show how important UK nature is to the world.

Dr Philip Wheeler, senior lecturer in ecology at The Open University, and co-producer for the series, which launches later this year, told BBC News: "I hope the public interest this series generates will give wildlife in Britain and Ireland the boost it urgently needs."

The Art Fund, a national arts charity, began developing the project more than two years ago in response to the lack of connection between young children and the environment during Covid.

Every primary school age child is invited to create their own art from the museums' collections of wildlife through specially hosted activities. It is hoped that as children learn more about wildlife and the environment they will be inspired to work to protect it in the future.