Visitors can explore the story of art – from cave paintings to contemporary visual art on the free trail leading from The Harley Gallery to nearby Creswell Crags, in a leisurely 20 minute walk.
The Harley Gallery is renowned for its contemporary visual art exhibitions – while Creswell Crags is home to Britain’s earliest cave art.
The start of the trail is marked by two commissioned horse sculptures, made from recycled materials collected on the Welbeck estate, crafted by artist Michelle Reader, based within the Harley Studios on the estate.
Michelle said, “The sculptures represent an encounter between a prehistoric species and a present-day species making the link across time between Welbeck and Creswell Crags. The contemporary animal, a racehorse inspired by the lineage of the ‘bloody-shouldered Arabian’ brought to Welbeck by Edward Harley, comes face to face with its ancestor, a wild horse found locally 40,000 years ago.”
From here, visitors can then walk the route dotted with interpretation panels and kinetic tree sculptures created by Martin Smith. The eye-catching trees will reference agricultural machinery, and their reflective, brightly coloured leaves will complement their woodland walk setting.
For details visit: www.harleygallery.co.uk
