Fermynwoods Contemporary Art

What Fermynwoods Contemporary Art does

Fermynwoods Contemporary Art is a UK nonprofit educational charity founded in 1998 by Rosalind Stoddart and registered in Thrapston, Northamptonshire. It commissions contemporary-art projects in public and non-traditional settings, including woodlands, country parks, heritage sites, historic buildings, and urban locations. Its audiences include schools, alternative-provision students, university partners, the general public, and artists. Programs span public installations, artist-led education, residencies, seasonal exhibitions, podcasts, bulletins, and online exhibitions; recent examples include Love + Light (2024-2026) and Xylophobia.\n\nDelivery is peripatetic and community-led: staff and commissioned artists work directly in schools, alternative-provision settings, parks, woodlands, and other community venues, while the website, podcast, social platforms, and digital resources extend reach beyond the county. The disclosed technology use is primarily digital media and creative tooling, including creative coding, augmented-reality stop motion, sonification, and digital publications; no proprietary software platform is disclosed. The organization remains peripatetic and is seeking a new permanent home as it approaches its 30th anniversary. Programs are free to participants, and no commercial product or service pricing is disclosed; operating revenue comes primarily from Arts Council England, local authorities, charitable trusts and foundations, donations, and commissions. The organization reports 1-10 employees, no parent company, and no disclosed investors.

Name

Fermynwoods Contemporary Art

Legal name

Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Limited

Website

https://fermynwoods.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fermynwoods Contemporary Art is a Northamptonshire educational charity that commissions contemporary art, delivers artist-led school and alternative-provision programs, runs public-space projects and residencies, and reaches online audiences through podcasts and digital programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education and Cultural Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Home & Garden Hobbies (Gardening, Floral Design, Home Decor) (EDAAAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary art charity
• Artist-led education
• Public art installations
• Alternative provision arts
• Community arts programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Thrapston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Grants: As a registered educational charity (No. 122678), Fermynwoods relies primarily on funding from Arts Council England, local authorities, charitable trusts, and foundations. The organization has received grants from Northamptonshire Community Foundation's Creative Climate Action Fund and other public funders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fermynwoods Contemporary Art is an educational arts charity that commissions contemporary art projects in non-traditional venues (forests, country parks, historic churches, public spaces) and delivers artist-led learning programs across Northamptonshire and online. Core activities include public art installations, school and alternative provision education programs, artist residencies, the Fermynwoods Podcast, and seasonal thematic programs such as Love + Light and Xylophobia.

Product overview

Fermynwoods Contemporary Art is a peripatetic arts organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs spanning public art installations, educational initiatives, and online content. Core offerings include the Fermynwoods Podcast (audio/video series), In Public Spaces exhibitions, In Education programs (including CE Academy Alternative Provision), and artist residency opportunities at The Arches at Fineshade Wood. The organization delivers seasonal program series such as Love + Light (light-based climate interventions) and Xylophobia (forest-themed digital and physical exhibitions), supported by publications through Fermynwoods Bulletins.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Arches at Fineshade Wood: A project space located within Fineshade Wood natural habitat and ancient mixed broadleaf and conifer woodland, heritage site, and leisure facility in Northamptonshire.
• Fermynwoods Podcast
• The Forest Is the Museum

Products and services

• Fermynwoods Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• Art Charity of the Year recognition (2020)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Arts Council East MidlandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Fermynwoods was selected to be part of Arts Council East Midlands' EMPACT project in 2003, a cultural tourism scheme for rural areas. This marked a turning point for the organization and led to refocusing activities from commercial gallery to community-based projects.
• Forestry CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership dating from 2006, with a five-year business plan to deliver artist-led projects in Fermyn Woods Country Park. The Forestry Commission partnered with Fermynwoods to restore Sudborough Green Lodge as an artist residency, research and education center. The partnership was reaffirmed with the opening of The Arches at Fineshade Wood in 2018.
• Corby Borough CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for projects including Beyond Seven Mountains (2016) with Robin Rimbaud's sound work drawing on Corby's links with outer space. Ongoing collaboration on public art initiatives in the borough.
• The CE AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership providing Alternative Provision programme for students excluded from mainstream education. Fermynwoods delivers artist-led workshops and experiences, with annual yearbooks celebrating student achievements. Programme has been running since at least 2018.
• Rockingham CastleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage site hosting exhibitions including Iris Bertz work in 2005 and The Howse Shal Be Preserved installation in 2021.
• Deene ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric estate hosting Pleasure Garden exhibition in 2021 curated by Amy Lay Pettifer, featuring works by Bethan Lloyd Worthington and Dyveke Bredsdorff.
• Northamptonshire Holiday Activities & Food (HAF) ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering holiday activities for young people including Art & Nature Club led by Jack Halford, combining creativity and nature exploration.
• West Northants CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for public art initiatives including St Andrews Road Mural commemorating the history of Northampton Castle, delivered with Studio Studio.
• All Saints Church, AldwincleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue for Of Immeasurable Consequence installation by Pale Blue Dot Collective in 2024, examining our place within the universe through photography and sound.
• All Saints Church, Earls BartonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrade I listed Anglo Saxon church hosting Halo light installation by Tobias Zehntner in 2025.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Artangel: London-based leading contemporary art commissioning charity producing site-specific projects in non-gallery locations across the UK. Comparable in commissioning model, though operates at significantly larger scale and national remit.

Others

• Engage: UK national membership organisation supporting gallery and visual arts education. Fermynwoods' Education Curator Abbie Canning is the Engage East Midlands Representative, evidencing direct sector alignment on artist-led learning delivery.

Direct peers

• Create London: East London-based arts charity commissioning contemporary art projects with communities and delivering artist-led learning programmes. Directly comparable to Fermynwoods' commissioning-plus-education model.
• Primary: Nottingham-based artist-led contemporary art organisation hosting residencies and exhibitions with a public learning programme. Comparable in artist-led ethos, regional UK positioning, and education focus.
• Spike Island: Bristol-based contemporary art and design organisation combining artist studios, exhibitions, residencies, and learning programmes. Comparable in combining artist development, public programmes, and educational outreach.
• Wysing Arts Centre: Cambridge-based contemporary arts charity operating an artist-residency programme and commissioning site-responsive contemporary art in rural Cambridgeshire. Closely comparable in peripatetic commissioning model, artist-residency focus, and small-charity scale.
• Castlefield Gallery: Manchester-based contemporary art gallery commissioning new work and delivering engagement and learning programmes. Comparable as a regional contemporary art charity with education programming.
• Situations: Bristol-based public art commissioning organisation producing temporary contemporary art installations in non-gallery spaces. Directly comparable in commissioning art for non-traditional venues and public-realm programming.
• Eastside Projects: Birmingham-based contemporary art commissioning organisation operating as a project space with an artist-residency and public-programme focus. Comparable in commissioning-first, non-commercial orientation and education partnerships.
• S1 Artspace: Sheffield-based contemporary art organisation commissioning new work, hosting artist residencies, and delivering education programmes. Comparable in scale, charity structure, and focus on artist development outside London.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCws_RwyOYgwSlbyWi7bvisw
• Facebookfacebook.com/fermynwoods-contemporary-art
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fermynwoods-contemporary-art-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/fermynwoods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fermynwoods Contemporary Art