Lucy Stevens

Leicester-based artist Lucy Stevens creates multi-media artworks inspired by ornithology and natural science collections using drawing, painting, field recording and music.

She works alongside a range of experts in a variety of subjects linked to the natural environment to celebrate the value and beauty of nature.

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

Selected Solo Exhibitions/projects

2021: Natural High, birding and wellbeing guide in collaboration with the National Forest

2021: Chasing Seasons, StudionAme, Leicester

2019: A Song For A: Wood Pigeon / Chiffchaff / Crow for the National Forest, Timber Festival.

2019: Bird Skins exhibition in collaboration with Bill Newsinger, Lightbox Gallery, Leicester.

2019: LCB Depot Showcase Prize Winner exhibition, LCB Depot, Leicester

2017: Performing Industry, collaboration with musicians, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

2016: The Red Species List, collaboration with musicians, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

2011: The End of the Line, Egg Box Messages and Under the Seine, CAMAC, France

2010: Don’t Shoot the Messenger, site-specific sound walk, Wirksworth Festival, Derbyshire

2009: Walk With Me, sound walk for the grounds of Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery

2007: Conscious Void, installation, collaboration with Cat Preston. The City Gallery, Leicester

Selected Group Exhibitions

2021 - 2022: @background_bob and his amazing friends – guess who’s back! Group exhibition at Firstsite, Essex

2021: Tarpey Gallery Open 2021, Castle Donington

2021: Wirksworth Festival art and architecture trail online exhibition

2021: Sock Gallery Summer exhibition, Loughborough

2021: Leeds Summer group show, an online exhibition

2021: The Company of Artists, Leicester Contemporary, Leicester

2021: International Postcard Exhibition, The Surface Gallery, Nottingham

2021: In Memoriam online exhibition and charity silent auction, Artcore Gallery

2020 - 2021: Street Stories- Augmented Reality Art Trail, Leicester

2020: SPEC 2 group exhibition, curated by Marcus Dove. Lightbox Gallery, Leicester

2020: The Harley Open 2020, Welbeck, Worksop, Nottinghamshire

2020: AR Extra- Augmented Reality Art Trail in Loughborough, Leicestershire

2020: AR Extra exhibition in collaboration with Graff io, Lightbox Gallery, Leicester

2019 – 2020: Open 30: The Peoples Exhibition, New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester

2019: Open exhibition, Sock Gallery, Loughborough

2019: LSA Annual exhibition 2019, New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester

2018 - 2020: De Montfort University StudionAme Stairwell in the VJ Patel building, Leicester

2018: L.O.V.E. Art – The Leicester Open Variant Exhibition, Curve Theatre, Leicester

2018: Crowd Show at NN Contemporary Art, Northampton

2018: Brief Encounters Science and Art exhibition, Leicester Royal Infirmary Odames Library

2018: Our eARTh exhibition at Kunsthuis Gallery, North Yorkshire

2018: Animal Contemporary: ARTbound Community, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

2017 – 2018: Walker & Bromwich: The Art Lending Library, The Gallery, De Montfort University, Leicester.

2017: Leicester: Memories of Industry exhibition, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

2016: International Postcard Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham.

2015: Concrete Nature exhibition, Stamford Arts Centre, Lincolnshire.

2015: Multi-channel sound concert, Hear This Space concert, New Walk Museum, Leicester.

2014: Passion2Print exhibition, LCB Depot, Leicester.

2014: Radioactive presents: Air Traffic, a collaboration with Esther Ainsworth, Balfron Tower, London

2014: Web of Water touring exhibition across Leicester, Nottingham and Derbyshire, The Atrium Gallery (ICCA), Carsington Water, Sharpes Pottery Museum, Artcore Gallery, Curve and Deda.

2014: Since 1843: In the Making, Bonington Building, Nottingham Trent University

2013: Museum Metamorphosis, the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester.

2012: Nottingham Castle annual open exhibition

2008: Gold Soundz, Southwell Artspace, Nottingham

2007: A painted mural for ‘Bloom’, commission design for Royal Crown Hotel, Brussels

Public Collections

2021: Peregrine Falcons. NTU Global, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham.

2020: Yellowhammer (Mouse) and Great Tit (Navy Bean) as part of The Leslie – Farquhar Bequest at the Victorian Gallery at Leicester Museum, Leicester.

Art Fairs

2021: Harley Gallery Star Makers, Nottinghamshire

2021: Craft Fair Contemporary, Nottingham Contemporary

2021: Sock Gallery, Loughborough

2021: Attenborough Arts Centre, University of Leicester

2021: Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London

2021: Melbourne Festival, Derbyshire

2021: Nottingham Contemporary Summer Art Market

2021: The Other Art Fair, London

2020: Nottingham Contemporary Print Fair

2019: The Welbeck Winter Weekend, Worksop, Nottinghamshire

2019: Affordable Art Fair: Battersea Park, London

2019: Melbourne Festival, Derbyshire

2019: Art House, Leicester

2018: Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London

2018: Roy’s People Art Fair at Bargehouse OXO Tower Wharf, London

Memberships

2018 – onwards: Leicester Society of Artists

2015 – onwards: Leicester Print Workshop

Awards and Funding

2021: Highly commended, Open exhibition, Sock Gallery, Loughborough

2021: Awarded a National Forest Arts Grant

2021: Awarded a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England

2020: Awarded Emergency Response funding from Arts Council England

2019: Highly commended, Open exhibition, Sock Gallery, Loughborough

2018: LCB Depot Showcase Winner, Open 29 exhibition, New Walk Museum, Leicester

2018: Art House Prize, Open 29 exhibition, New Walk Museum, Leicester

2018: The Henton Ellis Prize, LSA annual exhibition at New Walk Museum, Leicester.

2016: Leicester Print Workshop award, Midlands Printmakers Open, The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.

2016: Van Haulin’ award, Midlands Printmakers Open, The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham.

2014: Awarded funding from Arts Council England as part of Grants for the Arts

2013: Shortlisted for The Attenborough Prize, Open 24 exhibition at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

2012: First prize winner sponsorship from John E Wright, Open exhibition, Nottingham Castle

2007: MAstars award selected by Deborah Dean (Nottingham City Museums & Galleries) for Axis contemporary art online resource

Residencies 

2021 - 2022: AA2A artist residency at Loughborough University

2018: Brief Encounters with Space Scientist Jonathan Nichols, University of Leicester.

2017 – 2018: AA2A artist residency at De Montfort University

2017: Cove Park artist residency, west coast of Scotland

2015: Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Sudborough Green Lodge, Northamptonshire.

2015: The Ugly Weekender with Dirty Electronics, Reactor Halls at Primary, Nottingham.

2014: Balfron Tower artist residency, London

2013: Ricklundgården, Northern Sweden

2011: CAMAC, Marnay-Sur-Seine, France

2009: Annual, The Collection Art Gallery, Lincolnshire

Workshops

2015: Wildeye Audio Post Production course

2015: BTO Bird Identification workshop at Minsmere RSPB reserve

2014: The Beauty of Birds course at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey

2012: Wildeye Advanced Wildlife Sound Recording course

2010: Wildeye Wildlife Sound Recording course

2010: WEA Bird watching course

Presentations

2019: Bird Skins solo exhibition artist talk, Lightbox Gallery, Leicester

2018: Visualising Research: Teenage Gannet foraging behaviour, Music Technology Innovation Postgraduate seminar, University of Leicester

2015: Visualising birdsong artist talk, School of Biological Sciences, University of Leicester

2014: New Networks for Nature conference, Stamford Arts Centre, Lincolnshire

2013: Synapse Arts artist talks, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

2013: Project Pigeon artist talks, The New Art Gallery Walsall, Birmingham

Published work

2021: Chasing Seasons, The Quorndon Village Life Magazine (issue 103) August 2021. Cover and p.50 - 51.

2020: Murze Arts platform and magazine (issue 10).

2018: Our eARTh exhibition catalogue, Kunsthuis Gallery, North Yorkshire

2017: Memories of Industry exhibition catalogue, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester.

2014: Since 1843: In the Making, Nottingham Trent University catalogue

2014: Artcore: Web of Water exhibition catalogue.

2013: Museum metamorphosis: The Adaptable and Changing Museum catalogue, University of Leicester

2012: VA | Green Field Recordings | World Listening Day 2012- audio CD

2010: Wirksworth Festival programme

2009: Lucy Stevens Walk With Me catalogue, Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery featuring an essay by Joanne Lee.

Reviews/interviews

2021: Degree Art Meet the Artist interview

2020: CANVAS: A blog by Saatchi Art. Meet the Others interview.

2020: AR Extra review by graff.io arts

2019: Lucy Stevens and studio space StudionAme by the Stitch Writer.

2016 - 2021: BBC Radio Leicester interviews for various projects.

2016: The Weekend Collective blog interview. 

2016: ‘How to … protect nature through performance‘, Arts professional online article.

2014: Drawing the sound of birdsong: a review by Lucy Stevens, Wildlife Sound: The Journal of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society, Volume 13, No 3 Spring 2014. p. 16 – 17

2009: Look and listen around the castle grounds by Katie Taylor, Nottinghamshire Today, April 2009, vol 45, p. 138- 139

2009: East Mids for free Walk With Me by Dan Davies, Metro newspaper, 8 April 2009 p. 22