Our exhibition is opening soon at Dimbola Museum and Galleries in Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight. 5th September 2026-7th January 2027. Normal Dimbola admission prices will apply.
Located in the heart of West Wight and once the home of photographic portrait pioneer, Julia Margaret Cameron and her Freshwater Circle, Dimbola is a natural setting for our West Wight Portraits of a Landscape Collection.
It’s been a busy few months for the team. Pete Johnstone has photographed 20 fascinating people, connected with land and sea, who live and work in West Wight. Nathan Holt has been capturing everyday sounds of milking cows, bees in hives, bellringing, charcoal making, an artist painting, planters’ digging, and poetry reading to create an evocative soundscape accompanying photographic portraits in the exhibition.
Janet Owen has spent time with young learners in West Wight exploring the idea of sensory landscapes; as well as collating mini-stories about people’s connections to West Wight with more than 100 people taking part in our pop-up events.
We are currently creating a digital map of portraits accompanied by a new schools learning resource, ‘Portraits of Your landscape’ on EarthMuseum Learn for students everywhere to enjoy.
There are many people and organisations we would like to thank for turning our ambitions into reality. Special thanks are extended to the 20 wonderful portrait participants who kindly agreed to be part of the project, and Dimbola Museum and Galleries for presenting the exhibition. Also to Pete Johnstone and Nathan Holt who have been an amazing creative team going above and beyond to make this project happen. And to Jean Owen at Naked Figleaf Press for her support. Finally our huge thanks to the Past Futures initiative led by Creative Island, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for generously supporting this project.
