Eleanor Chaney

Natural History Narratives
Beyond The Museum

INTRODUCTION

I bring together 17 years’ experience as a visual artist and creative facilitator, and since 2021 as a creativity coach. I have been commissioned by wildlife charities, museums, and arts organisations. Clients include Butterfly Conservation, Cambridge University Museums, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, and Lancaster University.

Recently, my practice has combined research into historic natural history collections with creating engaging art experiences that spark curiosity and empathy for the natural world. Projects include ‘Hidden Natural Histories’ (Tullie House) , ‘The Library Of Nature’ (a virtual library of nature-inspired art activities for children), workshops for ‘Inspire: Nature’ (Cambridge University Museums), and contemporary pop-up books for Entangled Festival (with Lancaster University).

In 2021, I was awarded a DYCP project, ‘Reframing Natural History Collections For The Future’, exploring the artist’s role in reinterpreting collections today. This led to my upcoming solo exhibition ‘Small Wonders: Celebrating The Tiny Architects Of Our Ecosystem’ at Kendal Museum (Oct 2026).

I have also trained as a Neurodiversity and ADHD Creativity Coach, deepening my understanding of the urgent need for inclusion in the arts.

SELECTED PROJECTS

SMALL WONDERS:
Celebrating The Tiny Architects Of Our Ecosystem

Upcoming exhibition at Kendal Museum

'Small Wonders' celebrates the importance of the UK's insect life and highlights its vital role in the changing ecosystem through a mixed media exhibition of original illustration, playful paper sculptures, costume and participatory installation.

REFRAMING NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Supported by Arts Council England through the Developing Your Creative Practice Fund

A year long research and development opportunity funded by Arts Council England, exploring the role artists can play in reinterpreting natural history collections in the current age.

Included training by the Museum’s Association in ‘Working Ethically’ and ‘Working With Collections’, courses on gender intersectionality and systems thinking and practical skills based workshops in engraving, etching and woodcut.

Also included visits to museum collections, and interviews with ecologists and educators.

THE LIBRARY OF NATURE

Initial project phase supported by Arts Council England

A virtual illustrated library of art and craft activities inspired by nature for children aged 5 - 11. Interactive storytelling based upon Victorian natural history books. Included online tutorials for families and virtual workshops for primary school children during lockdown and visitor restrictions.

HIDDEN NATURAL HISTORIES

Commission for SOURCE project with Tullie House Museum and Signal Film and Media

A project which explored the hidden or harder to see histories of the objects and their collectors in the Tullie House Nature Collection.

Could digital interventions create a space to ask new questions and tell more stories?

UNFOLDING LAKELAND FLORA

Commission for Entangled Festival, Ensemble Projects, Lancaster University

This project begins with the 1885 Journal of Botany. Researchers unlocked data from within its pages to help ecologists and conservationists understand changes in the flora of the Lake District.

Inspired by the data produced, Victorian scientific pop-up books, and some of the wonderful names for rare Lakeland plants, I created new pop up artworks – unfolding layers of pictures and information tell the story of the plants, how their environment is changing and the impact this has on the ecosystem.

BUTTERFLIES THROUGH TIME

Commissioned project for Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge.

Videos and resources created to be used in school workshops to create a display of paper butterflies and their lifecycles in the museum. Shared online to be used by families and community groups.

TESTIMONIALS

Tullie House were delighted to work with Eleanor and the artwork produced thoughtfully examined the hidden histories of some of the female collectors who contributed to the development of the museum’s natural science collections. Outside of the parameters of the project, Eleanor worked with me and the Biodiversity Curator to develop a long-term museum display inspired by the work that adds to the understanding of the questions raised by the work. As a testament to the quality of the artwork, the piece will be accessioned into our permanent collections.

Claire Sleightholm - Assistant Curator, Tullie House

Ellie Chaney is an extremely dedicated artist who has been developing her practice and improving her skills in many areas over the past few years. Since knowing Ellie I have been impressed not only by her commitment to her practice but also in her initiative to run her own art workshops and community art projects that share her skills and inspire others through art.

She has great technical craft skills matched with the interesting thematic areas of natural history, collections and the female voice, and making those relevant to people today.

Loren Slater - Director, Signal Film and Media