Royal Academician Emma Stibbon opens a new exhibition, "Melting Ice | Rising Tides," at The Burton at Bideford on May 10. The show features monumental drawings and prints inspired by field trips to Svalbard and the Weddell Sea, alongside a five-metre-wide installation responding to erosion in Bideford Bay. It includes a film with contributions from Andy Bell, Caroline Lucas, and Dr. Dylan Rood, and a limited edition print, "Atlantic Edge" (2025), priced at £390 to support the gallery.
The exhibition matters because it connects global climate change impacts in polar regions to local coastal erosion in North Devon, using art as a bridge between scientific data and emotional engagement. Supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art Studies, it includes a symposium on art and environment, underscoring the growing role of visual art in climate discourse. The show is organized with Towner Eastbourne and Cristea Roberts Gallery, highlighting collaborative efforts to address urgent environmental issues through creative practice.