Dorset arts organisation receives prestigious National Landscapes Association award
Activate Performing Arts receives Bowland Award 2025 in recognition of outstanding work connecting people to landscape.
Dorset based Activate Performing Arts have been presented with the prestigious Bowland Award for 2025 by the National Landscapes Association in recognition of their outstanding contribution to advancing the understanding and appreciation of the public in relation to the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty of National Landscapes.
With a deep understanding of the role that art plays in shaping our relationship with place, Activate Performing Arts has truly set the standard for excellence in this field. Their dedication to discovering and growing the value of our landscapes through diverse creative practice is captured in the amazing Nature Calling, their partnership with the Association’s first national arts commissioning programme.
Activate Performing Arts has been a valued partner for the Association for many years. They have guided and inspired our journey of highlighting the beauty and cultural significance of our nation’s landscapes through the arts. From the development of our first Art and Landscape Strategy to being the executive producer for Nature Calling, their commitment and expertise has brought communities together, sparked important conversations, and inspired positive change in the way we interact with and appreciate our natural surroundings.
Dorset National Landscape Partnership’s relationship with them started by funding an Inside Out piece at Hambledon Hill near Blandford in 2007. This was an extraordinary event of performance and music on an Iron Age hillfort involving professional dancers, choreographers and musicians, performing a piece that had been co-created with local school students. A true one-off, it was performed on a misty autumnal equinox night drawing a big crowd for a deep collective experience. Since then, Dorset National Landscape has worked with them on a regular basis and admire the application of installation and performance in celebrating place, exploring environmental issues and engaging diverse audiences.
In recognition of their outstanding achievements and tireless efforts to promote the importance of our national landscapes, the National Landscapes Association is honored to bestow the Bowland Award upon Activate Performing Arts for 2025.
May their work continue to inspire and enlighten us all!