Visitors to the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes have the chance to cast their eye over a new exhibition featuring the stunning photography of David Higgins and Gary Lawson, inspired by the landscape and wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and other protected areas.
“Exploration of Land and Nature” will run until 2 April 2017.
David Higgins travels extensively in pursuit of wildlife photography and has visited 25 African countries, islands in the North and South Atlantic, Borneo and Patagonia. He’s a winner and runner up in several competitions, most recently winner of the St Helena Photography Competition and shortlisted in the Outdoor Photographer of the Year Award 2015 and 2016, The IUCN Oceans Award 2016, British Wildlife Photography Awards 2016 and the ZSL Animal Photography Prize 2016. One of his images is in the BBC Countryfile Calendar 2017.
Gary Lawson is a professional photographer with a keen eye for composition coupled with an in-depth knowledge of the technical aspects of photography. He creates wonderful images that draw you in and tell stories. His professional photography ranges from portraiture to weddings to commercial photography but his passion has always been capturing the outdoor world. Gary is based in Ripon and has an extensive library of images from Cumbria, Yorkshire and Scotland.
Museum Manager, Fiona Rosher, said: “We’re delighted to be featuring the work of two amazing photographers in our first exhibition of the year. David and Gary capture the breadth of wildlife and landscape in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Also included are stunning images of wildlife from other protected areas across the world. They each have a very individual approach and there are some truly spectacular images.”
• The Dales Countryside Museum is owned and managed by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. Its collection was started in the 1940s by Marie Hartley, Ella Pontefract and Joan Ingilby and is the most comprehensive in the country relating to Dales heritage. It ranges from prehistoric to modern day objects.
• The Museum shares the stories of the people and places of the Yorkshire Dales past and present and stimulates visitors to think about its future. Displays interpret the way the landscape has been shaped by people in their efforts to live and work in the Dales. Themes include family and home life, leisure and tourism, transport and communication, farming, crafts and industries.
• Highlights of the collection include a bronze spearhead found at Semerwater, a unique Viking ring found in Sedbergh, precious knitting sticks – often created as gifts for loved ones – and a tinsmith’s workshop rescued from Castle Bolton.
• The Museum is housed in an exciting and imaginative conversion of the Hawes railway station in Wensleydale, in the north of the National Park, and features a steam train and carriages. It includes hands-on displays, short films featuring local people, a programme of events and activities, free temporary exhibitions, a National Park Centre offering visitor information, a shop featuring Distinctly Dales items created by local designers and makers and a research room where you can investigate the archive, family history and the artefact collection.
• It is open daily between 10am and 5pm from February to October and between 10am and 4.30pm in November and December. Entry charges are £4.50 for adults and £4 for concessions and groups of 10 people or more, while children visit free. An annual pass is £9.
• The Museum also offers a range of learning opportunities either on site or at schools – teachers can visit free to find out more. It can also be hired as a unique venue for meetings, training events or conferences.
More information is available at;
www.dalescountrysidemuseum.org.uk
