ENGLAND IS A FOREST

England is a Forest is a collaborative illustrated forest. It is a virtual map and exhibition with its physical debut at Sluice [Vernacular] 2024, at The Minories in Colchester, June 2024. Through a free open call, we received over a hundred artworks, each portraying a specific tree with its geolocation. To read the personal stories behind some of the trees, visit our instagram.

Scroll down to find out how to add your artwork to the map.

The following artists exhibited in the physical exhibition:

Adrienne Mary Smiley, Alexander Curry, Alice Diakova, Alison Chaplin, Alison Griffin, Alys Mendus, Amanda Bates, Anna Harris, Anna Walsh, Annabel Harris, Anne Blackwell-Fox, Annie Livesey, Archie Rogers, Barbara Howey, Beccy Bloomfield, Ben Coleman, C Masom, Carolyn Blake, Christine Rollitt, Claire Winfield, Clare Rogers, Didi Baldwin, Dora Anderson-Taylor, Dr Emma Coleman-Jones, Eliza Brown, Emma Can See Monsters, Emma J. Williams, Emma Munday, Evelina Zakharov, Gill Hutchings, Grace Clifford, Hannah Rollings, Hanzhi Zhong, Heather McAteer, Heidi Baines, Helen Baines, Holly Holmes, Hyun Yoon, Yan Cowles, Imogen Patel, Iryna Zaitseva, Jacqueline Freeman, Jane Peacock, Jane Walker, Jennifer Rose, Jenny Marshall, Buer, Jo Rance, Joe Tymkow, Juli Fejer, Justine Varah, Kaori Homma, Karen Howse, Katie Evans, Kooi Chock Glendinning, Lane Shipsey, Lara Cobden, Lauren Towner, Lauren Brine, Lee Johnson, Clouds Lin, Louise Marlborough, Lucy Springall, Lyn Hodnett, Maggie Learmonth, Marcia Teusink, Margaret Ann Liversidge, Martin Clarkson, Mary Wood, Matt Greenhill, Betty Lau, Meryn Weaver, Monica Perez Vega, Nick Jordan, Pat Naylor, Pauline Rigby, Penny Thorpe, Pippa Choy, Rebecca Byrne, Rose Dufton, Roxanne Weller, Rubin Jiang, Sarah Chapman, Sarah Figlio, Sarah Moore, Sarah Tew, Sebastian Espejo Vent, Silvana McCallum, So-Ha Au, Sonja Dimitrova, Stephanie Norris, Steven Brown, Susie Wright, Sylwia Narbutt, Tamsin Lea-Alex, Tom Norman, Uzma Sultan, Valerie Large, Valerie Kuzina, Vicki Lea-Alex, Warren Garland, Warwick Lea-Alex, Dawnika To, Jenia Demchenko, Yuchen Bian, Zhenzhen Tian

GALLERY

We are now accepting rolling submissions to the map- within England and beyond. Anyone can participate; simply find a tree and create your artistic response. We accept all 2-d media except photography. The goal is to encourage others to spend time outdoors observing nature and making art.

• To submit your artwork for review, click the pink ‘+’ button in the upper right-hand corner of the map.
• When the submission form pops up: Select the location of your tree. Enter ‘Your Name’ and ‘Tree species‘ (to the best of your knowledge). ‘Description’ should include the title of the artwork, media, dimensions, and year, as well as any other details about the tree you wish to share. You may include your website/Instagram if you have them. Please also include your email (this will not be public- just for us to contact you if needed.)
• Upload a clearly photographed, well-lit, cropped image of your artwork. The artwork must be your own original work and of an existing tree, with its location marked on the map. Please keep the image size under 1 mb (recommended between 300-500kb) or your submission may not upload.
• We will review submissions on a rolling basis. We will only accept one submission per person a year. By submitting your work, you consent to being included on this public map and for us to possibly share your contribution to Instagram/Substack.
• Any other questions can be emailed to smallworksopencall@gmail.com. Please use subject line: ‘EIAF MAP’
• Please bear with us while we iron out any kinks with this rollout- we appreciate you for playing along 🙂
• Thank you – We look forward to seeing what you make!

Let’s keep this forest growing.