Water is Life: Opens Tuesday 20th May, 2025

Water gives us life. All living creatures depend on water. We are mostly water. Let’s celebrate the gift of water with a work of art.

At What Next, we have imagined a secure future where everyone has clean water, to drink, to grow things with and to bath in. We can’t take this for granted. We need to remind each other how important water is.

We are asking the people of Godalming, Community Groups and Schools, etc. to help us convey the concept of ‘Water is Life’ by creating works of art.

You can also see the What Next Earth Sprites performing in the ‘Rubbish Puppet Theatre’ with their production: ‘Nolene and the Rescue Hens’, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th May, 12:00pm and 2:00pm.

Project / Activity Leader: Shirley Faraday

Exhibition Times

Tuesday 20th May to Saturday 14th June: 10:00am to 4:00pm

How to Take Part

Submissions now closed, details for 2025 soon.

  • Submit a photograph of your work by Earth Day 2025, Tuesday the 22nd of April to shirley@whatnext.earth.
  • Paintings, drawings and photographs will need to be ready to hang, please.
  • We will aim to include as many pieces as we can fit into the Museum. There is some space for sculptures inside and out.
  • Deliver your selected piece to the Museum or Library by Sunday the 18th of May.
  • There will be a reception in the Museum on Saturday the 24th of May at 3pm, all welcome.

Exhibition in 2024: ‘Earth Sprites Emerging’

Some of the artwork from our exhibition in 2024.

Our Mayoral Reception

Artist, Freya (9), with her brother and the Mayors.

Mayor of Waverley, Penny Rivers, and the Mayor of Godalming, Paul Rivers.

Artist, Andrew Hurst from Artventure, with the Mayors.

Pam Cookney from Conquest Art speaking at the Reception.

Event Organiser, Shirley Faraday, speaking at the Reception.

Chair of What Next Trustees, David Faraday, speaking at the Reception.

Exhibition in 2023: ‘Our Other Mother’

The Original Our Other Mother Project

Details of the Our Other Mother project can be found at: Our Kids Climate, Parents for Future or Mothers Rise Up!.

The Original Our Other Mother Artists

Anita Bagdi is a freelance illustrator, currently living in Dorset, UK. She is the mother of two amazing girls. Website: https://www.anitabagdi.com/. Insta: @anitab_art. Twitter: @bagdianita. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bagdiani

Benji Davies is an illustrator, author and animation director. He lives in London, UK.  His first self-penned picture book The Storm Whale won the inaugural Oscar’s Book Prize and was Dutch Picture Book Of The Year 2017. His second, Grandad’s Island, won the children’s book category of the AOI World Illustration Awards and has since been adapted for the stage. Website: Benji Davies (squarespace.com). Insta @Benji_Davies. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benjidaviesdraws

Emily Gravett is an award-winning English author and illustrator of children’s picture books. She has received the Kate Greenaway Medal – recognising the year’s best-illustrated British children’s book – twice for Wolves and Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears. Other books include Meerkat Mail, Tidy and Too Much Stuff. Insta: Emily Gravett (@emily_gravett) • Instagram photos and videos. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Emily.Gravett1

Gabrielle Reith is an illustrator and artist based in Scotland. Insta: Gabrielle Reith (@small_stories_scotland) • Instagram photos and videos Twitter @gabiReith

Guy Parker-Rees is the illustrator of international best seller Giraffes Can’t Dance and many other children’s books. He lives in Brighton UK, with his wife and three children. Website: http://guyparkerrees.com/. Insta: @guyparkerrees. Twitter: @GuyParker_Rees Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuyParkerReesillustration

Jim Field is an award-winning British illustrator of children’s books. He grew up in Farnborough, worked in London and now lives in France with his wife and young daughter. His first picture book, ‘Cats Ahoy’ written by Peter Bently won the Booktrust Roald Dahl Funny Prize in 2011. Since then he has won multiple awards including Oscar’s Book Prize, Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards and the Lollies Book Award. He is perhaps best known for drawing frogs on logs in the bestselling picture book ‘Oi Frog! Website: https://www.jimfield.me/. Insta: @_JimField. Twitter  @_JimField

Mark Chambers is a British illustrator and author of children’s picture books and young fiction. Mark was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in 2013 and won the Sheffield Children’s Picture Book Prize in the same year. Mark A Chambers Illustration. Insta: markAchambers, @markAchambers. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chambersillustration

Rebecca Cobb is an award-winning British children’s book illustrator. She collaborated with author Julia Donaldson on The Paper Dolls, and writes and illustrates the Aunt Amelia series. Website: Rebecca Cobb Illustration. Insta: @rebecca_a_cobb, Twitter: @rebecca_cobb

Rob Biddulph is a bestselling and multi award-winning British author/illustrator. In March 2020 he started #DrawWithRob, a series of twice-weekly draw-along videos designed to help parents whose children were forced to stay home from school due to the coronavirus pandemic. It proved immensely popular, garnering millions of views and international media coverage. Website: Rob Biddulph. Insta:  @rbiddulph. Twitter: @RobBiddulph. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robbiddulphauthor/

Irene Silvino is an  illustrator and surface pattern designer based in London. She was born and grew up in Livorno, Tuscany, Italy. She is the founder of Editartz (https://editartz.com), an online creative community of illustrators from around the world. Website: https://irenesilvino.com/. Insta: @irenesilvinodesign. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/irenesilvinodesign