This community-curated exhibition, which runs from 5 February to 26 April 2025, will explore the effects of climate change in Cornwall, drawing on historic artworks and photographs from the collections at Penlee House. Local environmental groups, such as Sustainable Penzance, the RSPB, Growing Links, Cornwall Climate Care and Mount’s Bay Marine Group, have selected works for inclusion in the exhibition. These highlight issues such as rising sea levels, more frequent storms and extreme weather, warming oceans, and the challenges these changes pose for the environment, local wildlife and their habitats, the communities living in Cornwall and our industries, such as fishing, farming and tourism.

This exhibition will also provide space for these local groups and other environmental champions to share their stories and offer suggestions to help visitors understand what individuals and communities alike can do to help combat climate change, protect our local area, and have a positive impact.

In addition to the historic paintings and photographs, this exhibition will feature new artworks created especially for the show by local community groups, children and young people. Groups such as the Women’s Institute and Penlee’s Arts and Health Groups, have joined young people from Mounts Bay Academy, Humphry Davy School and Penwith College, and children from four local primary schools to create new pieces on the theme of climate change. Working with local artists and some of the environmental groups, the groups and schools have responded creatively in a variety of ways to the images chosen from the collections at Penlee House.

These responses depict connections to favourite places and the inspiration people find in Cornwall’s landscape and seascape, as well as exploring how they have changed or might change in the future. The new works will sit alongside the paintings and photographs from the Penlee House collections which inspired them.

The Shape of Things: Our place in a changing climate will be on display at Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance, from 5 February – 26 April 2025.

This exhibition has been part-funded by Arts Council England and Little Parc Owles Trust.