Lucy Stevens
Lucy Stevens
Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
About Lucy Stevens
Lucy Stevens is a British Contemporary artist whose work explores our relationship with the natural environment on a social and cultural level.
She draws inspiration from biophilia, natural science collections, taxidermy, colour theory, birdwatching, and birdsong identification. Her projects often include working in collaboration with experts in the natural world including scientists, museum curators, ornithologists, photographers, and musicians.
She creates mixed media abstract portraits of birds on paper, and sound works developed from gathering field recordings of the dawn chorus.
Her most recent work in collaboration with New Walk Museum in Leicester uses photography as a starting point, which she builds upon using instinctive mark-making layered with vibrant paint, pastel, pencil, spray paint, collage, and gold leaf to reinterpret the natural science collections and to change the narrative around museums, taxidermy, and conservation.
Lucy lives and works in Leicester. She received an MA and BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Nottingham Trent University. Her work has been shown in exhibitions and art fairs across the East Midlands, Yorkshire, East Anglia, and London. She has also taken part in artist residencies in Scotland, Brussels, France, and Sweden.
She draws inspiration from biophilia, natural science collections, taxidermy, colour theory, birdwatching, and birdsong identification. Her projects often include working in collaboration with experts in the natural world including scientists, museum curators, ornithologists, photographers, and musicians.
She creates mixed media abstract portraits of birds on paper, and sound works developed from gathering field recordings of the dawn chorus.
Her most recent work in collaboration with New Walk Museum in Leicester uses photography as a starting point, which she builds upon using instinctive mark-making layered with vibrant paint, pastel, pencil, spray paint, collage, and gold leaf to reinterpret the natural science collections and to change the narrative around museums, taxidermy, and conservation.
Lucy lives and works in Leicester. She received an MA and BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Nottingham Trent University. Her work has been shown in exhibitions and art fairs across the East Midlands, Yorkshire, East Anglia, and London. She has also taken part in artist residencies in Scotland, Brussels, France, and Sweden.
Education
Education & Qualifications
2006- 2007 MA Fine Art Nottingham Trent University School of Art & Design
2002- 2005 BA (Hons) Fine Art Nottingham Trent University School of Art & Design
2006- 2007 MA Fine Art Nottingham Trent University School of Art & Design
2002- 2005 BA (Hons) Fine Art Nottingham Trent University School of Art & Design
Events
Art Fairs
2019 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London
2019 Welbeck Winter Weekend, Harley Gallery
2019 Melbourne Art Fair, Derbyshire
2019 Art House, Leicester
2018 Roy’s People Art Fair at Bargehouse OXO Tower Wharf
2018 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London
2018 Roy’s People Art Fair at Bargehouse OXO Tower Wharf
Awards and Funding
2018 LCB Depot showcase Winner as part of Open 29 exhibition, New Walk Museum, Leicester
2018 Art House Prize for ‘Puffin (Skomer Island)’ as part of Open 29 exhibition, New Walk Museum, Leicester
2018 Awarded the Henton Ellis Prize for ‘Landscape Coming to Life’ as part of the LSA annual exhibition at New Walk Museum, Leicester.
2016 Leicester Print Workshop award winner (£100 voucher) for ‘Corn Bunting‘ monoprint (as part of The Red Species List concert), exhibited as part of the Midlands Printmakers Open 2016 at The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.
2016 Van Haulin’ award winner (£100 voucher) for ‘Curlew‘ monoprint (as part of The Red Species List concert), exhibited as part of the Midlands Printmakers Open 2016 at The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.
2014 Awarded funding for ‘Representing birdsong’ from Arts Council England as part of Grants for the Arts
2013 Shortlisted for The Attenborough Prize for ‘Pigeon feather pie chart’, exhibited as part of the Open 24 exhibition at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
2012 First prize winner for £200 sponsorship from John E Wright for ‘Pigeon Clock graph’ at Nottingham Castle annual open exhibition
Residencies
2018 Brief Encounters artist residency in collaboration with Space Scientist Jonathan Nichols, University of Leicester.
2017 – 2018 AA2A artist residency in partnership with De Montfort University
2017 Cove Park artist residency, west coast of Scotland
2015 Self-directed residency at Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Sudborough Green Lodge, Northamptonshire.
2015 Stevens & Frize concise bird guide, slideshow with birdsong and electronic birdsong sound recordings, shown at The Ugly Weekender with Dirty Electronics as part of Reactor Halls at Primary, Nottingham.
2014 Balfron Tower artist residency, London
2013 Ricklundgården artist residency, Northern Sweden
2011 CAMAC residency program for artists, Marnay-sur-Seine, France
2009 Annual, a series of sound walks for Lincoln city, as part of an artist residency at The Collection Art Gallery , Lincolnshire
2019 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London
2019 Welbeck Winter Weekend, Harley Gallery
2019 Melbourne Art Fair, Derbyshire
2019 Art House, Leicester
2018 Roy’s People Art Fair at Bargehouse OXO Tower Wharf
2018 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London
2018 Roy’s People Art Fair at Bargehouse OXO Tower Wharf
Awards and Funding
2018 LCB Depot showcase Winner as part of Open 29 exhibition, New Walk Museum, Leicester
2018 Art House Prize for ‘Puffin (Skomer Island)’ as part of Open 29 exhibition, New Walk Museum, Leicester
2018 Awarded the Henton Ellis Prize for ‘Landscape Coming to Life’ as part of the LSA annual exhibition at New Walk Museum, Leicester.
2016 Leicester Print Workshop award winner (£100 voucher) for ‘Corn Bunting‘ monoprint (as part of The Red Species List concert), exhibited as part of the Midlands Printmakers Open 2016 at The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.
2016 Van Haulin’ award winner (£100 voucher) for ‘Curlew‘ monoprint (as part of The Red Species List concert), exhibited as part of the Midlands Printmakers Open 2016 at The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.
2014 Awarded funding for ‘Representing birdsong’ from Arts Council England as part of Grants for the Arts
2013 Shortlisted for The Attenborough Prize for ‘Pigeon feather pie chart’, exhibited as part of the Open 24 exhibition at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
2012 First prize winner for £200 sponsorship from John E Wright for ‘Pigeon Clock graph’ at Nottingham Castle annual open exhibition
Residencies
2018 Brief Encounters artist residency in collaboration with Space Scientist Jonathan Nichols, University of Leicester.
2017 – 2018 AA2A artist residency in partnership with De Montfort University
2017 Cove Park artist residency, west coast of Scotland
2015 Self-directed residency at Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Sudborough Green Lodge, Northamptonshire.
2015 Stevens & Frize concise bird guide, slideshow with birdsong and electronic birdsong sound recordings, shown at The Ugly Weekender with Dirty Electronics as part of Reactor Halls at Primary, Nottingham.
2014 Balfron Tower artist residency, London
2013 Ricklundgården artist residency, Northern Sweden
2011 CAMAC residency program for artists, Marnay-sur-Seine, France
2009 Annual, a series of sound walks for Lincoln city, as part of an artist residency at The Collection Art Gallery , Lincolnshire
Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions / commissions
2019 A Song For A: Wood Pigeon / Chiffchaff / Crow for Timber Festival, Feanedock Wood, Leicestershire. In collaboration with musicians Roopa Panesar and Rishii Chowdhury.
2019 Bird Skins exhibition in collaboration with Bill Newsinger, Lightbox Gallery, LCB Depot, Leicester.
2017 Performing Industry, collaboration with musicians to produce a concert featuring industry field recordings, prints and projection, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
2016 The Red Species List, collaboration with musicians to produce a concert featuring birdsong field recordings and projection, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
2011 The End of the Line, Egg Box Messages and Under the Seine, Open studio at CAMAC, Marnay-sur-Seine, France
2010 Flock and Stain, origami bird and audio-visual installation at Wirksworth teaching pool. As part of the Young Curators Project and Wirksworth Festival
2010 Don’t Shoot the messenger, site specific sound walk, Wirksworth Festival, Derbyshire
2009 Walk With Me, commissioned sound walk for the grounds of Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery
2009 Annual, site specific sound walks and sound installation, residency at The Collection Gallery, Lincolnshire
2007 Conscious Void, sound and textile installation, collaboration with textile artist Cat Preston. The City Gallery: The Upstairs Gallery, Leicester
Selected Group Exhibitions / commissions
2018 Cove Landscape (monochrome) for Derby Print Open, Green Door Printmaking Studio, Derby
2018 Oil Spill and The Swithland Wood Recordings for our eARTh exhibition at Kunsthuis Gallery, North Yorkshire
2018 The Red Species List (selection of 4 prints) for Animal Contemporary: ARTbound Community, The Town Hall, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.
2017 – 2018 The Swithland Wood Recordings as art of Walker & Bromwich: The Art Lending Library, The Gallery, De Montfort University, Leicester.
2017: Leicester: Memories of Industry exhibition, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
2016: ‘Corn Bunting’ and ‘Curlew’ as part of The Red Species List concert have been selected for the Midlands Printmakers Open 2016 at The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.
2016: Red Fody and Herring Gull, Hamerkop and White-faced Whistling Duck and The Swithland Wood Recordings have all been selected to be exhibited at New Walk Museum’s Open 27 Exhibition.
2016 ‘Red Fody and Hamerkop’ and ‘Feral Pigeons under Lancaster Rd bridge’, monoprints and ink at BIRDscapes Gallery, Glandford, Holt.
2016 Cuckoo (green), International Postcard Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham.
2015 ‘Red Fody and Hammerkop’ and ‘Feral Pigeons under Lancaster Rd bridge’ as part of Concrete Nature, Stamford Arts Centre, Lincolnshire.
2015 Unheard Voices, multi channel sound piece (with live vocalist) diffusion performance for Hear This Space concert at New Walk Museum, Leicester.
2014 Radioactive presents: Air Traffic, a collaboration with Esther Ainsworth, soundscape installation, for Balfron Tower open season exhibition, London
2014 The Magic Voice, digital print for the Open 25 exhibition at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester
2014 Oil Spill Digital print for ‘Web of Water’ touring exhibition, including: The Atrium Gallery (ICCA) in Nottingham, Carsington Water in Derbyshire, Sharpes Pottery Museum in Derbyshire, Artcore Gallery in Derby, Curve in Leicester and Deda in Derby.
2014 Curlew song and Redshank and Brambling song monoprints and soundtrack, Since 1843: In the Making, Bonington Building, Nottingham Trent University
2013 The Magic Voice, digital print for ‘Museum Metamorphosis’, exhibited at the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester.
2013 Pigeon feather Pie chart, Pigeon Clock Graph and Half eaten bread and seed, digital print at the Open 24 exhibition, New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
2012 Pigeon Clock Graph and Half eaten bread and seed, digital print at Nottingham Castle annual open exhibition
2019 A Song For A: Wood Pigeon / Chiffchaff / Crow for Timber Festival, Feanedock Wood, Leicestershire. In collaboration with musicians Roopa Panesar and Rishii Chowdhury.
2019 Bird Skins exhibition in collaboration with Bill Newsinger, Lightbox Gallery, LCB Depot, Leicester.
2017 Performing Industry, collaboration with musicians to produce a concert featuring industry field recordings, prints and projection, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
2016 The Red Species List, collaboration with musicians to produce a concert featuring birdsong field recordings and projection, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
2011 The End of the Line, Egg Box Messages and Under the Seine, Open studio at CAMAC, Marnay-sur-Seine, France
2010 Flock and Stain, origami bird and audio-visual installation at Wirksworth teaching pool. As part of the Young Curators Project and Wirksworth Festival
2010 Don’t Shoot the messenger, site specific sound walk, Wirksworth Festival, Derbyshire
2009 Walk With Me, commissioned sound walk for the grounds of Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery
2009 Annual, site specific sound walks and sound installation, residency at The Collection Gallery, Lincolnshire
2007 Conscious Void, sound and textile installation, collaboration with textile artist Cat Preston. The City Gallery: The Upstairs Gallery, Leicester
Selected Group Exhibitions / commissions
2018 Cove Landscape (monochrome) for Derby Print Open, Green Door Printmaking Studio, Derby
2018 Oil Spill and The Swithland Wood Recordings for our eARTh exhibition at Kunsthuis Gallery, North Yorkshire
2018 The Red Species List (selection of 4 prints) for Animal Contemporary: ARTbound Community, The Town Hall, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.
2017 – 2018 The Swithland Wood Recordings as art of Walker & Bromwich: The Art Lending Library, The Gallery, De Montfort University, Leicester.
2017: Leicester: Memories of Industry exhibition, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
2016: ‘Corn Bunting’ and ‘Curlew’ as part of The Red Species List concert have been selected for the Midlands Printmakers Open 2016 at The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.
2016: Red Fody and Herring Gull, Hamerkop and White-faced Whistling Duck and The Swithland Wood Recordings have all been selected to be exhibited at New Walk Museum’s Open 27 Exhibition.
2016 ‘Red Fody and Hamerkop’ and ‘Feral Pigeons under Lancaster Rd bridge’, monoprints and ink at BIRDscapes Gallery, Glandford, Holt.
2016 Cuckoo (green), International Postcard Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham.
2015 ‘Red Fody and Hammerkop’ and ‘Feral Pigeons under Lancaster Rd bridge’ as part of Concrete Nature, Stamford Arts Centre, Lincolnshire.
2015 Unheard Voices, multi channel sound piece (with live vocalist) diffusion performance for Hear This Space concert at New Walk Museum, Leicester.
2014 Radioactive presents: Air Traffic, a collaboration with Esther Ainsworth, soundscape installation, for Balfron Tower open season exhibition, London
2014 The Magic Voice, digital print for the Open 25 exhibition at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester
2014 Oil Spill Digital print for ‘Web of Water’ touring exhibition, including: The Atrium Gallery (ICCA) in Nottingham, Carsington Water in Derbyshire, Sharpes Pottery Museum in Derbyshire, Artcore Gallery in Derby, Curve in Leicester and Deda in Derby.
2014 Curlew song and Redshank and Brambling song monoprints and soundtrack, Since 1843: In the Making, Bonington Building, Nottingham Trent University
2013 The Magic Voice, digital print for ‘Museum Metamorphosis’, exhibited at the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester.
2013 Pigeon feather Pie chart, Pigeon Clock Graph and Half eaten bread and seed, digital print at the Open 24 exhibition, New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
2012 Pigeon Clock Graph and Half eaten bread and seed, digital print at Nottingham Castle annual open exhibition
