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The original work of wildlife
artists was not readily available in the late 1950's and yet this was a time of
widespread and growing interest in natural history. With a society of artists
in mind which might seize such an opportunity, Robert Gillmor and Eric Ennion,
with the enthusiastic support of Peter Scott and Keith Shackleton, organised an
exhibition of contemporary bird paintings in the Reading Art Gallery in 1960.
Maurice Bradshaw, then Director of the Art Exhibitions Bureau, joined the
organising committee and as a result the Bureau took this exhibition on tour for
a year.
Such was the interest shown by
provincial galleries that the tour was extended for a further year, and during
this time R.B. Talbot-Kelly and Maurice Wilson joined the organisers to plan a
society to build on this interest, and they began inviting founder members. The
inaugural exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) was held in
London and opened by James Fisher in August 1964. The exhibition featured 149
works by 35 founder members, eight of whom are still members. By 2009 there were
359 works selected for the annual exhibition in the Mall Galleries, London and
the Society had 73 elected members and 7 Associate Members.
From the outset the SWLA was
one of eight member societies comprising the Federation of British Artists (FBA)
which was founded in 1960 and which had grown out of the Art Exhibitions Bureau.
The FBA is a non-profit making organisation and Registered Charity which
provides a central forum and administrative body for all the societies, and is
responsible for subscriptions, commissions, submission fees and other dues and
general administration resulting from their activities, and provides an
excellent exhibition space in the heart of London at the Mall Galleries.
In 1990 the Society of Wildlife
Artists became a Registered Charity with the charitable purpose of fostering and
encouraging all forms of visual art based on or representing the world's
wildlife. Through art, the Society actively seeks not only to generate an
appreciation of and enthusiasm for the natural world, but also to advance the
interest, education and concern of the public in the conservation of wildlife.
In pursuit of these objectives the SWLA undertakes various activities to support
and promote arts based objectives of other conservation and wildlife charities.
Through a sponsorship agreement
with Lloyds Private Banking, a joint Bursary scheme was established in 1993 and
ran for ten years. Sponsorship was subsequently taken over by Capmark Europe (formerly GMAC -
Commercial Mortgage Europe) whose support of the Bursary scheme
and a
major art prize awarded at the annual exhibition ran for five years until 2008. Since the conception of
the Society of Wildlife Artists Bursaries
over 50 grants of between £150 and £500 have been awarded and they continue to
help young artists keen to develop their knowledge and skills in wildlife art.
From 2002 the age limit was increased to 30 years for the individual Bursaries
of up to £750 towards travel, education or the cost of materials.
The focus of the Society's work
is the annual exhibition featuring all art media and is held in the Mall Galleries
in late September and early October. Included with the work of members from the
UK, mainland Europe, North America and Russia is that of successful Bursary
applicants, as well as a selection of work from non-members. The Annual
exhibition of the SWLA is the foremost event in British wildlife art calendar.
A number of awards are made
each year at the exhibition. They include the Birdwatch Artist of the Year Award
sponsored by Swarovski Optik, the RSPB Fine Art Award, the
St. Cuthbert’s Mill Paper Award, the Birdscapes Gallery
Printmakers Award, the Wildlife Trusts Underwater Award, the Langford Press Award
and many others.
The Society of Wildlife Artists
Registered Charity No 328717
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