RHS Garden Bridgewater and University of Salford Launch New Artist in Residence Programme

University of Salford is thrilled to announce the launch of its new Artist in Residence programme in collaboration with the RHS Garden Bridgewater. This exciting initiative invites visitors to experience the garden from a fresh artistic perspective, working with renowned visual artist and photographer, Dr Yan Wang Preston.

Dr Wang Preston has won numerous prestigious awards, including the Royal Photographic Society's inaugural Photographer of Environmental Responsibility Award in 2023. Her residency will start with research and development, focusing around the historic Worsley New Hall site at RHS Bridgewater. The project will explore the hidden stories within this "cosmopolitan wilderness," revealing the connections between nature, history, and diverse cultures around the world.

The University of Salford Art Collection (UOSAC) helped forge the partnership between RHS Bridgewater and Dr Wang Preston, and staff and students will be supporting her throughout.

A public programme will start in March 2025, featuring workshops and a pop-up display at RHS Garden Bridgewater in spring. The culmination of Dr Wang Preston's work will be presented in the spring and summer of 2026, when her new outdoor installations will be showcased within the garden. In autumn 2026, a final exhibition will be held at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.

Dr Yan Wang Preston is an award-winning artist known for her stunning photographic projects that highlight the relationship between humans and the natural world. Her past works include Mother River, a photographic series documenting the entire 6,211km length of China's Yangtze River, and With Love. From an Invader, a year-long project in which she photographed the South Pennine Moors every other day, a round trip of more than two hours. Based in West Yorkshire, Dr Wang Preston lectures in photography at the University of Huddersfield.

Speaking about the residency, she said, "I'm delighted to have this opportunity to work with RHS Bridgewater and the University of Salford. Plants and flowers enrich our lives with so much beauty and vitality. Like people, they come from long journeys full of fascinating stories."

Lindsay Taylor, Curator of the University of Salford Art Collection, said, "We are so excited to be partnering with RHS Bridgewater, which is right on our doorstep. I've long admired Yan's incredible work, especially her focus on the natural world, and we're thrilled to see this collaboration come to life."

The University of Salford Art Collection contains over 900 items including work by L S Lowry and Bridget Riley, and is the catalyst for a range of scholarships, collaborative commissions and cultural partnerships with organisations from across the North West.

The project will provide unique opportunities for students, staff, and local communities to engage with one of the UK's most beautiful gardens through art, at the same time contributing to the University's goals of nurturing innovation and environmental responsibility.

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