Media
BORN FREE FOREVER EDINBURGH 2022
WATCH DAILY MOTION VIDEO
In honour of what would have been the 100th Birthday year of Bill Travers MBE, Born Free is celebrating its fearless Co-Founder’s legacy by designating 2022 our 'Year of the Lion'. Born Free's year of action for lions, sees a UK-wide exhibition - Born Free Forever - featuring artists Gillie and Marc's stunning life-size, bronze lion sculptures to raise awareness and vital funds for lions through the Forever Lions Fund, set up in Bill's memory.
On 6th October 2022 the Born Free Forever exhibition opened at The Meadows, Edinburgh with an additional 'mini pride' at St Andrew Square, where they will remain in residence until January 2023. More than 50 local youngsters from the nearby George Heriot’s School took part in a lion-based art workshop, led by Scottish artist and designer, and Drawing for the Planet (DftP) founder and CEO, Jane Lee McCracken.
Born Free said:
"What an incredible day as our Born Free Forever lions arrived at their final destination, Edinburgh. The sun shone, and artist and Born Free champion, Jane Lee McCracken hosted a very special lion drawing workshop for a group of school children.
Jane said:
"In celebration of the Born Free Forever exhibition and lions I selected 25 characterful drawings by Heriot's children to feature in the Born Free Forever artwork. The artwork not only raises further awareness of this noble species and the real lions in Born Free's care it also commemorates the exhibition opening and the special day the children, the Born Free Team and I shared. Sadly the sculpture of Black was stolen at the previous exhibition in Bristol so only 24 lions are exhibited in Edinburgh but I wanted to remember Black by including a 25th lion in the artwork."
Edinburgh Evening News: edinburghnews.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/art/lion-statues-edinburgh-pride-of-24-lions-arrive-in-the-meadows-as-part-of-born-free-forever-3870485
The Edinburgh Reporter: theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2022/10/schoolchildren-are-drawn-to-the-pride-of-lions-on-the-meadows/
WHERE DID ALL THE ANIMALS GO? EXHIBITION 2022
Exhibition finally completed after COVID delay: 700 global schoolchildren’s wildlife drawings now on permanent display at Great North Museum: Hancock, UK
- Where did all the Animals Go? Exhibition: 100 Malaysian children’s drawings go on display to complete the exhibition, 2.5 years in creation, at in the museum’s Living Planet gallery.
- Features vinyl prints of 700 original biro drawings by schoolchildren from the UK, USA, Kenya, Guyana and Malaysia.
- North East based Artist, Jane Lee McCracken, Founder and CEO of Drawing for the Planet charity founded the project working in partnership with international wildlife charity Born Free, to give children and vulnerable wildlife a voice.
Despite difficulties in delivering Malaysian drawing workshops due to COVID-19 pandemic, the now completed exhibition can be viewed at Newcastle University’s Great North Museum: Hancock (GNM), displaying drawings from nearly 100 Malaysian children. Each drawing
features an iconic Malaysian species, the orangutan Guyana. The Malaysian children’s drawings now join the 600 drawings by children from North East England, USA, Kenya and Guyana, which have been on display since 2021.
Jane said:
“I am over-joyed to complete the exhibition and install the astonishing drawings by Malaysian children. It has been a tremendously inspirational and moving journey to completion and I’m so proud of all the children who participated in my workshops and created amazing art to help raise awareness of vulnerable wildlife.
Through drawing, education, and the opportunity of self-expression, I hope to generate individual compassion towards animals and the environment while encouraging collective responsibility to further cherish and conserve the planet’s remaining wildlife for future generations: if we care we want to conserve."
Watch the time-lapse video of the installation of Malaysian children's drawings:
Newcastle World:
North East Post:
northeastpost.co.uk/article/700-Global-Schoolchildrens-Wildlife-Drawings-Now-On-Permanent-Display
Shields Gazette:
_________________________________________________________________________
BORN FREE FOREVER EXHIBITION LAUNCH
4 April 2022
Image courtesy of Born Free: Will Travers OBE, Virginia McKenna OBE, Thea Caine Junior Ambassador Born Free and Jane Lee McCracken Artist and DftP Founder
On 4 April 2022, Drawing for the Planet (DftP) partner, international wildlife charity Born Free launched Born Free Forever exhibition which displays 25 bronze lion sculptures in Exhibition Park, Newcastle until 30 June. Born Free Co-Founders Virginia McKenna OBE and Will Travers OBE, also Born Free Co-Founders, were joined by Thea Caine a Born Free Junior Ambassador and Artist and DftP Founder, Jane Lee McCracken who was invited to deliver a Biro drawing workshop of the lion sculptures to Thea's class from Burnopfield Primary, County Durham. Read our blog post here. The following articles and features were published about the event:
BBC Look North
Chronicle:
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/film-star-lions-exhibition-park-23589318
ITV Tyne Tees:
www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2022-04-04/20-life-sized-bronze-lions-unveiled-in-newcastle
Northern Echo:
www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/20042124.born-free-film-star-virginia-mckenna-opens-exhibition-newcastle/
Newcastle Evening Chronicle:
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/bronze-lions-exhibition-park-newcastle-23553692
Newcastle World:
www.newcastleworld.com/news/virginia-mckenna-opens-exhibition-of-life-size-bronze-lions-in-north-east-3638061
Sunderland Echo:
www.sunderlandecho.com/news/people/life-size-lion-exhibition-unveiled-in-memory-of-wildlife-campaigner-3638618
www.shieldsgazette.com/news/people/life-size-lion-exhibition-unveiled-in-memory-of-wildlife-campaigner-bill-travers-3638615
_________________________________________________________________________
WHERE DID ALL THE ANIMALS GO? EXHIBITION COMPLETION
23 March 2022
Despite difficulties in delivering Malaysian drawing workshops due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jane completed the Where Did All the Animals Go? exhibition at Newcastle University’s Great North Museum: Hancock, with the installation of nearly 100 Malaysian children’s drawings of iconic Sarawak wildlife including orangutans. The completed exhibition features nearly 700 drawings of vulnerable wildlife by schoolchildren from across the globe. This time-lapse video captures Jane and Incite Design's Colin Lowrey installing the Malaysia display.
Video courtesy of Great North Museum: Hancock
________________________________________________________________________
MOUNTAIN CONVERSATIONS
1 February 2022
Listen to the podcast here:
open.spotify.com/episode/drawingfortheplanetwithjaneleemccracken
STU NEWS LAGUNA
3 August 2021
______________________________________________________________________
