Help us bring ‘Paula the Polar Bear’ to Margate this summer to take our Animals & Us exhibition to the streets and get everybody talking about climate change.
We want to take our summer exhibition, Animals & Us, out of the gallery and onto the beach, creating a true spectacle as 'Paula the Polar Bear' roams across Margate sands in the height of the summer season. With Margate's beach as the backdrop, Paula will surprise visitors to Margate and encourage thought-provoking conversations about how humans can co-exist with animals. Professional puppeteers will train local performers to work with Paula throughout the summer and Turner Contemporary Navigators will accompany Paula, breaking the ice with conversation starters about climate change. It will be the first - and possibly last! - time that a polar bear has been seen in Margate.
Because of ongoing and potential loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change, polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008. Paula the Polar Bear is a life-sized 'puppet'. She has already travelled to Washington DC, Finland and Auckland to raise awareness of environmental issues. Paula the Polar Bear is on loan from Greenpeace UK.
As part of our campaign we have created a range of exciting rewards including exclusive products and experiences. This includes a limited-edition tote bag and print featuring an illustration created exclusively for us by Sprankenstein as well as a puppeteering workshop.
Animals & Us (25 May - 30 September 2018) is a major exhibition exploring artists' reflections on the relationship between humans and other animals. At a time when scientists are warning that humans may be causing the 6th mass extinction on earth, there has been a growth of interest across numerous disciplines in human-animal studies, including amongst contemporary artists. This exhibition is inspired by artists' imaginative, provocative and diverse explorations into our relationships with animals. How do we see other animals and how do we imagine they see us? How do we see ourselves in relation to and as animals, and how have these human-animal relations been reflected in art? Help us get these conversations started outside of the gallery.
We want everyone to have the power to make art happen
Art Happens is crowdfunding with a difference. Created by Art Fund, it is the only platform of its kind designed specifically to help museums and galleries, and we make sure 100% of your donation goes directly to the project of your choice. If you’d like to know more, see our FAQs, contact us on 0844 415 4100, or email arthappens@artfund.org