Letters written by members of STILL LIVELY, Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Dear Tomorrow
DonateEXHIBITION
DearWolverhampton, UK
In 2022-2023, DearTomorrow held a yearlong residency in the heart of Wolverhampton (UK) at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery museum. We co-created a dynamic series of programs and exhibits linking the region’s past, present, and future that engaged 20,000 people.
The Story
Our first installation featured letters from our global collection, and invited Wolverhampton residents to contribute their voice to the gallery.
We then collaborated with local community organizations; the Boundary Way Project, Gatis Community Space, the Wolverhampton School of Art, and others – representing a broad cross-section of this diverse community.
People of all ages and backgrounds wrote DearTomorrow letters and poems, created works of art, and took part in heartfelt conversations about climate change.
The Outcome
Community contributions were presented alongside pieces from the Wolverhampton Art Gallery collection. Original works by the Black Country painter Edwin Butler Bayliss were juxtaposed with photographic works by David Grandorge, documenting the contemporary reality of the districts Butler Bayliss painted over a century ago.
The exhibition took visitors on a journey through interactive installations, films, and soundscapes, with areas for visitors to write their own letters, including an interactive phone box to record voice messages to DearTomorrow.
Hear all about the yearlong partnership
in these interviews with museum-staff
and the DearTomorrow team.