How do different people experience the natural world, and how can you capture and understand ideas of wildness?

These are the questions at the heart of an inspiring artist residency at The University’s Manchester Museum in partnership with Venture Arts. For this six-month residency, talented Venture Arts studio artists Andrew Johnstone and Emelia Hewitt have transformed the Top Floor space into a creative studio. Regular drop-in sessions give visitors opportunities to find out more about the artists’ creative process, their inspirations, and how their work connects to the broader themes of Belonging in Wild. Their art brings fresh, unique perspectives on nature and helps us think about inclusion in new and exciting ways.

Andrew is an illustrator and designer. He is non-verbal and non-conversational, and his detailed drawings often focus on patterns in nature, such as tigers. “Andrew’s designs might seem similar at first, but each one reflects subtle, precise differences.” James from Venture Arts Studio explains. “I think he’s always enjoyed looking, and quite scientifically exploring the shape and patterns that you can see.

Meanwhile, multidisciplinary artist Emelia’s work captures nature through film photography, cyanotype printing, and playful storytelling. “I like the birds, and I love the Dodo the best. I like to draw them in costumes, and Tesco Pigeon is a pigeon who works at the Post Office doing admin.” Emelia shared, “He’s got a Tesco meal deal in his beak because it’s his Friday treat.”

The residency is part of the Belonging in Wild project, which connects with the Museum’s Wild exhibition. The project collaborates with Venture Arts, Pinc College, and Manchester Deaf Centre. Working with neurodivergent and d/Deaf people, the aim is to increase our understanding and awareness of how nature is experienced and accessed now by people with lived experience of disability and inspire action and imagination for a more inclusive wild future.

By celebrating diverse voices and creating space for inclusion, Belonging in Wild invites visitors to rethink the meaning of ‘wild’.

• For details about the drop-in sessions, take a look at Manchester Museum’s website.
• Find out more about the residency and Andrew and Emelia’s work in this video.

The Belonging in Wild artist residency runs until 2 April 2025.