Creative Fellow - Ranscombe Nature Reserve

Creative Fellow - Ranscombe Nature Reserve

Plantlife Closing date: Fri, 01 May 2026

Role: Creative
Contract: Temporary
South East

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 "> published -

Job Summary

This is a short paid opportunity for an innovative disabled artist to share their connection to wild plants and fungi and to join Plantlife in a celebration of working with Ranscombe Nature Reserve for 20 years. Artist fee is £3,575 Material budget up to £750 Access budget up to £2,425

Job Description

Plantlife is working in partnership with Screen South's Accentuate Programme, is seeking an imaginative and research driven Creative Fellow to undertake a short, exploratory residency at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve, Plantlife's flagship site and a significant landscapes for wild plants and arable flora. This fellowship invites a creative practitioner to immerse themselves in the reserve's ecology, history and communities, and to produce a digital artistic response that celebrates the site's past, present and future.

This opportunity forms part of the Ranscombe Connect project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is designed to deepen public connection with nature, broaden who feels welcome in natural heritage spaces, and explore how creativity can illuminate new ways of understanding landscapes.

Job Requirements

The Creative Fellow role is designed for a curious, research driven creative practitioner from any discipline who is passionate about nature, especially plants, and committed to improving access and inclusion within natural heritage spaces.

Applicants should bring a question led approach, an openness to collaboration with staff, ecologists, volunteers and local communities, and the ability to express ideas in innovative, sustainable and low impact ways.

The role requires spending time connecting with Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve to explore its ecology, archaeology and community connections, keeping a record of research, and producing a digital creative output for the site's 20th Anniversary celebrations.

Access support is available.

Applicants to submit a short written or video statement along with three examples of previous work - please see the how to apply section.

Job Responsibilities

Fellowship Structure
Research and development
You will spend time getting to know Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve: its past, present and future. This might include exploring the habitat, ecology and archaeology. You will also speak with local people about access and inclusion. There will be "touch points" with Plantlife and Accentuate staff to support you in the development of your work. We would like to see a record of your research - perhaps through a sketch book or diary.

Intervention
You will develop a creative response based on what you discovered during your research. This is your chance to follow a line of enquiry and shape your artistic direction.

Material output
You will share the results of your creative work by producing a digital output. This might include photography, audio recordings, short video pieces, digital artwork, spoken word, soundscapes.

Evaluation
You will reflect on the whole process. What you learned, what worked well.

Useful Links

Job Overview

  • Job Title: Creative Fellow - Ranscombe Nature Reserve
  • Salary: Under £10K
  • Hours: Part time
  • Role: Creative
  • Contract: Temporary
  • Closing date: Fri, 01 May 2026
  • Location:
    South East

How to Apply

Send us:

around 500 words or
a 2–3-minute video

outlining how you meet the criteria, together with three examples of your previous relevant work.

Applications will be accepted in any format – written, audio or video.

If your document, audio or video is larger than 1MB please upload your documents to a cloud storage service (such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive).

Include the shared download link in an email to [email protected], ensuring that link permissions are set to ‘Anyone with the link can view’ so our team can access your files.

Deadline for applications: 1 May 2026, 23:59pm.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by 6 May 2026.
Interviews will be held on either 12 or 13 May 2026

To discuss this opportunity further please contact either –

Cass Crocker, Senior Arts and Culture Officer at Plantlife
[email protected]

Or

Esther Fox, Accentuate Programme Lead
[email protected]