More Than Ponies (MTP) is a contemporary art not-for-profit that seeks to reimagine and reanimate the New Forest area. MTP supports creative investigation into the many unexpected stories, histories, practices and ecologies of this unique area. The programme explores ideas of people and place, presenting artworks and projects with, for and about the diverse populations of the New Forest, from tourists and residents to birds and four-legged beasts.
Our programme is intended to be sometimes big and sometimes small, we have no core funding and are open to collaboration and partnerships. Like the animals that live here, MTP is roaming, moving across multiple sites. We aim to look beyond the infamous ponies to discover what makes this such a resonant place today, and what ways ‘place’ can resonate.
Who:
MTP was initiated in 2019 by artist Laura Eldret and is made possible thanks to participating audiences, collaborators, funders, partners, our focus group and most importantly contributing artists which you can read more about in our projects here. The MTP Focus Group helps to form and shape our activities. It consists of voluntary local representatives and arts professionals that have a strong connection with New Forest, including curator and producer Laurence Taylor, registrar Gemma March, writer and lecturer Colin Perry, artist Annabel Pettigrew, curator Mary Cork and local resident Tessa Ryde.
Contact:
HOW:
• MTP Creates genuine opportunity for everybody to access quality contemporary visual art in the New Forest
• MTP generates creative activity that rethinks, reimagines and reanimates the New Forest for
audiences and future generations
• MTP Reinvigorates the New Forest as a site for radical contemporary art making and critical
thinking around wider contemporary ideas for artists and audiences
• MTP supports the creation of visual art for and/or about the diverse populations and/or places of the New Forest
• MTP Collaborates with local residents, community groups, and cultural and research
institutions to enrich and diversify our offering
• MTP supports Fair Pay for Artists
