Art Fund: THE HERDS
Overview
Art Fund is offering grants to enable museums, galleries and cultural organisations to programme activities inspired by THE HERDS, a new project from The Walk Productions, creators of the extraordinary journeys of Little Amal. The funding is to join in with an international conversation about climate change through storytelling, activities and community engagement.
Funding is to support activities that connect museums and galleries’ young audiences to THE HERDS’ journey from central Africa to the Arctic Circle in a vast work of public art and climate action.
About THE HERDS
THE HERDS will feature over a hundred life-size animal puppets, created in renewable and recyclable materials, journeying 12,000 miles through Africa and Europe, gaining new species as they go, crashing into civilisation in major cities, warning of environmental disaster. The project will inspire wonder for the natural world, as well as sparking discussions about the challenges of climate change. For more information on the project please visit theherds.org.
Who can apply
They are seeking applications from museums, galleries and cultural organisations across the UK who are part of Art Fund’s National Art Pass network. If you are not sure if your organisation is part of the network, or would like to discuss joining, please contact Jennie Jiricny, National Art Pass Network Manager.
What will they fund
National Art Pass network organisations can apply for between £500 - £2,000 to support costs relating to THE HERDS outreach activities, including, but not limited to:
- Payment to artists / scientists / local groups who you may wish to collaborate with
- Materials and supplies for workshops (guidance will be provided on selecting climate-friendly materials)
- Travel for school or community groups (please consider the environmental impact of this, including public transport options, or whether there might be the option of the workshop going to the participants)
- Digital content
- Movement of collection items (for example out of stores) to enable public access
- Display of outputs (outputs and artworks from workshops, reinterpretation of collection items, etc.)
- Evaluation of your activities
In addition to the above Art Fund will also support each successful applicant with:
- up to £250 to fund digital and social media promotion for workshops and events. If your organisation does not regularly use digital and social media promotions support for this can also be requested.
- Art Fund will also support the cost of Welsh translation for any organisation working in Wales.
Activities
Outreach activities can vary from hosting workshops to school visits and more, taking place across May and June 2025, culminating in joint social media activations in July (further details to follow).
Activities could include:
- Bringing in artists, scientists, conservationists or climate activists to draw inspiration from your collection or location
- Activities inspired by artworks and objects in your collections related to nature, migration or habitats
- Creating a puppet of an animal from your collection or local to region
- Collaborating with a local nature or climate group
- Use of THE HERDS education programme “Boxed Wilderness”
Activities will need to take place from May to June, in the lead up to the arrival of THE HERDS in the UK on 4-5 July. As part of your activities, participants will create a collective message to THE HERDS which will be delivered by Art Fund.
Notes:
Participating organisations will:
- Attend workshops (details below)
- Deliver activities as agreed
- Participate in, and provide required data for evaluation and carbon impact reporting
Support organisations in receipt of funding through a series of online workshops:
- Workshop 1 – 9.30 – 11.00, 6 February 2025 – Introduction to THE HERDS
- Workshop 2 – 9.30 – 11.00, 6 March 2025 – Climate change and the carbon footprint of outreach materials
- Workshop 3 – 9.30 – 11.00, 20 March 2025 – Social media, digital storytelling and carbon impact
- Workshop 4 – 9.30 – 11.00, 3 April 2025 – THE HERDS update and evaluation (Workshops will also be recorded and shared)