A search has been launched to find artists to help connect people with a project to restore water quality and habitats in a North Yorkshire river. 

The Ryevitalise Landscape Partnership for the River Rye is offering four artistic commissions worth up to £8,000 each.

A further three bursaries worth £500 each are also available for young artists aged 16 to 30, to help them develop their skills and knowledge of an area of interest to the Ryevitalise project. This could include research, training, shadowing other creatives, site visits or materials.

Ryevitalise is a partnership project led by the North York Moors National Park and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund that is delivering nature recovery across 160 square miles of the western River Rye catchment. Now, the project team are launching a new community arts programme to help increase awareness and deepen understanding of the River Rye's natural and cultural heritage.

Alexandra Cripps, Rivers programme manager, said: “We are excited to receive applications from all creative avenues, whether that’s traditional art or photography, theatre, festivals or something completely different.

"What’s important to us is that each commission is developed with, or shaped by the communities in and around our project area and that the final result helps tell the story of the River Rye and its landscape.

The four commission themes are:

  • The River Rye, its history and its exploitation by our ancestors.
  • Re-connecting the River Rye’s fragmented habitats.
  • The impact of climate change (working with people aged 18-30).
  • Species of the River Rye and their decline over time.

Alex said: “We are also looking for three emerging artists, aged between 16-30 years old, whose skills and practice would benefit from a £500 bursary. It would be fantastic if they lived or worked in our project area, although this isn’t essential as long as they can visit and learn about our work.”

Alongside habitat creation throughout the project area, and schemes to improve water quality, Ryevitalise is focusing on creating a more naturally-functioning river by removing in-channel obstacles and giving the river the space to move freely. This helps restore the aquatic environment, boosting biodiversity and benefiting species such as brown trout and kingfisher.

Applicants are asked to submit a short proposal, together with a brief CV and images or web links to their previous work. The deadline for entry is Wednesday, July 26. For more information, see www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/beinvolved or contact the Ryevitalise team on ryevitalise@northyorkmoors.org.uk.