The Art of the River Park
Exhibition

Studio Response has been working alongside the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council, Salisbury City Council and AtkinsRealis, to devise and commission the public art programme for phase 1 of the new Salisbury River Park, a strategically important regeneration project for the city.

 As part of this programme, Studio Response curated The Art of Salisbury River Park, an exhibition at Salisbury’s Young Gallery which celebrated the River Park’s new, permanent artworks.

 The aim of the exhibition was to help Salisbury residents and visitors alike to better understand how and why the artworks have been created and to introduce the artists who made them.  It also showed the value of what art can bring to major infrastructure projects like the River Park.

 The exhibition was a platform for engagement and learning, both about the arts programme and Salisbury River Park itself, which is a very special habitat with wonderful flora and fauna to be celebrated.  The exhibition’s venue – the city centre Young Gallery – helped draw the artwork from the River Park into the heart of the city.

 All of the programme’s artists featured in the exhibition – Zac Newham, Fred Fieber, Jane Edden, Francesca Mclean and Tech Moon.  It also showcased a series of short musical pieces created by musician and composer Karen Wimhurst and inspired by the Salisbury River Park and the Avon Valley Nature Reserve.  You can listen to the music here.

 To support the exhibition Studio Response created activity sheets for children and a fishy facts trail within the gallery, with special gifts available for completed activities.

 Studio Response worked with Creative Producer Clare Christopher on the implementation of the Salisbury River Park Public Art Programme and the curation of the Art of the River Park Exhibition.  The exhibition at the Young Gallery, Salisbury, ran from 23 March to 31 August 2024.

 The exhibition was designed by Curious Origins and printed by Blackmore Ltd on xanita board which is a sustainable fibreboard that is made from fibres recovered from recycled used cardboard boxes.

 Photography by Michael Illas.