Art in the Park

Art in the Park, online, 1–28 February 2021, free entry - Visit now

Budding artists are invited to take a walk on the wild side with Kirkby Gallery and Knowsley Safari for Art in the Park, a series of interactive online classes led by professional creatives.

Live streamed from the safari park, the outdoors-inspired activities will give adults a virtual brush with nature and the opportunity to learn about art techniques and the natural world. There will be two Art in the Park events in February, each led by a professional artist and supported by live and pre-recorded content from safari experts and the Kirkby Gallery team.

Each event will be led by a professional artist and supported by live and pre-recorded content from safari experts and the Kirkby Gallery team

The first event, Staffin’ the Safari, is led by Cheshire-based printmaker and documentary artist, Julia Midgley. Julia’s four sessions take place weekly at 10am from Monday 1 February and will focus on work behind the scenes at Knowsley Safari, providing the audience with insight into how keepers and animals work together for the benefit of animal wellbeing and conservation.

The second event, Revisioning the Rhino, will be led by professional printmaker and former Manchester School of Art lecturer, Anthony Ratcliffe. Inspired by 16th Century artist, Albrecht Dürer, Anthony will explore the idea of a rhinoceros woodcut with contemporary associations. Anthony’s four sessions will take place weekly at 10am from Tuesday 2 February.

Kirkby Gallery is one of Merseyside’s smaller contemporary art galleries but one of the best in the North West, displaying work by local, regional, national and international artists, as well as touring exhibitions from the Hayward Gallery, Knowsley’s annual Open exhibitions and community arts projects. Last year, Kirkby Gallery was selected as the first venue for the 2020 Masterpiece Tour of Degas’s Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study.

Art in the Park is part of Kirkby Gallery & Prescot Museum’s ‘Out There and Online’ project. While museums and attractions remain closed, this collaboration with Knowsley Safari aims to engage with those interested in the arts and the natural world, as well as educating on the park’s animals and conservation aims.

All events are free.