Two new exhibitions featuring work by Peak District artists have opened at the museum and art gallery in Buxton.
In one of the exhibitions, three artists celebrate trees using watercolours, photography, poetry, storytelling and puppetry.
The other is an exhibition of work by members of the Chapel Camera Club.
Both exhibitions seek to record aspects of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected people.
Treasuring Trees is the work of three artists. Sarah EA Parkin is a watercolour painter who explores the tree-filled landscapes of the Derbyshire Dales. Gordon MacLellan is a poet, storyteller and puppeteer whose work reflects emotional responses to ash dieback and the changing woodland landscape. Valerie Dalling is a photographer exploring a deeper appreciation of the landscape, especially the birch trees which grow in the National Park.
Councillor Barry Lewis, Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change, said:
“These artists remind us of our deep connection to nature and the landscape around us and what it means to us. During the pandemic, many of us found a renewed appreciation of the natural world and its importance in our wellbeing. This exhibition reflects that.”
Twenty Twenty…and Beyond began in spring 2020 when the museum invited Chapel Camera Club members to work on a lockdown project supported by the Arts Council England Emergency Response Fund.
Members responded by creating self-portraits photographically illustrating some aspect of their personal experience of lockdown. Emma Finch, a specialist portrait photographer, gave help and support using Zoom, while more experienced club photographers mentored and encouraged the members. These portraits form the heart of the show.
Councillor Lewis added:
“As well as the news reports, facts and figures about COVID, it’s important to have a record, through art, of this very challenging time in our history and how it affected our lives.”
Treasuring Trees continues until Wednesday 9 June. Twenty Twenty…and Beyond is exhibited until Monday 2 May.
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, in Terrace Road, is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, and bank holiday Monday 2 May. Admission is free.
