Our Story

 

From a young age, artist Jane Lee McCracken has been captivated by both animals and drawing. As a child she could rarely be seen without a pen and paper, and she often spent her pocket money on wildlife magazines. At the age of eight, Jane learned that the Caspian tiger had been declared extinct. Struck by the loss of such a majestic species, she made a promise to do everything she could to support wildlife.

This promise has guided her life and artistic practice, inspiring her to raise awareness and funds for vulnerable species while exploring themes of loss caused by human activity. Since 2012, Jane has shared her passion through drawing workshops, reaching thousands of people around the world.

Believing that education is key to tackling the biodiversity crisis, Jane launched the Drawing for Endangered Species (DFES) workshops in 2014, in collaboration with the Born Free wildlife charity. Combining love of drawing and wildlife, she designed the workshops to inspire people while raising awareness of the urgent plight of threatened species. What began as a pilot session at St Peter's RC Primary in Scarborough quickly grew, with Jane going on to engage hundreds of children and adults across North East England, nurturing both creativity and a deeper connection to the natural world.

In 2019, Jane launched Where Did All the Animals Go? (WDATAG?), an international art and environmental education project in partnership with Born Free with support from Born Free’s Head of Community Engagement, Laura Eastwood, and Education Officers, Charlie Baker, and David Bolton. The idea was sparked by Artist Teacher Christine Egan-Fowler and Cultural Lead Linda Peacock, who suggested Jane organise an exhibition of children’s artwork from her workshops.

Over the course of the project, Jane brought the initiative to life by curating the Where Did All the Animals Go? exhibitions at Thought Foundation, Gateshead in 2019 and the Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne in 2021, working with more than two thousand schoolchildren. She also organised the Endangered Species Conferences in both years, creating platforms that combined creativity, education, and awareness to inspire a new generation to care for wildlife.

In 2020, Jane visited her cousin, Dr. Kirsten Rogers, at her home in Laguna Beach, California. During the visit, Jane had the opportunity to deliver California Wildlife workshops to children and adults across Orange County. Inspired by these pilot sessions, she invited Californian children to contribute drawings to her 2021 Where Did All the Animals Go? exhibition at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle upon Tyne. While in California, Jane shared with Kirsten her vision of expanding her workshops to reach children and communities around the world.

Kirsten, a UK dentist who had participated in several humanitarian missions with the US military providing dental care to underserved communities, had formed a friendship with Mayor Waneka Arrindell of Linden, Guyana. Through Kirsten, Mayor Waneka was invited to join the WDATAG? Project, helping to establish the Guyana Team as part of the project’s Outreach Program. The Mayor later invited Dr. Raquel Thomas, Director of the Iwokrama International Centre, and her colleagues to join the team. Over 100 children and adults participated in Jane’s 2021 exhibition workshops, including children from the indigenous village of Fairview in the heart of the Iwokrama rainforest and the Hauraruni Girls Orphanage. Biologist and artist Arianne Harris became WDATAG?’s first Art Ambassador.

Following the installation of the 2021 exhibition showcasing over drawings of local wildlife by 700 children from five continents and now on permanent display at the Great North Museum, Jane founded Drawing for the Planet, a global art, education and conservation charity. Supported by Kirsten and her husband John Rogers, as well as Jane’s husband Rob, the charity was created to expand Jane’s projects to reach more children and communities worldwide, while continuing to raise funds for wildlife conservation.