About The Sacred Nature Initiative
In addition to their artistry, Jonathan & Angela Scott have further transformed their passion into action by forming the Sacred Nature Initiative (SNI). This initiative aims to remind people of the fragility of our planet and the importance of reconnecting to nature.
We want to stir the imagination and rouse people to action on behalf of the natural world
Increasingly concerned by the impact of the burgeoning human population on the earth’s wild places, Jonathan and Angela set out to evoke our historical relationship to the natural world in their large format book Sacred Nature: Life’s Eternal Dance (HPH), published in 2016 – which won Gold in the 2017 Independent Publishers awards (IPPY) for Photography. The intention was to engage people of all ages and backgrounds through evocative images and thought provoking words to inspire them to rediscover the sacredness in nature.
The Scotts chose a place close to their hearts—the vast Mara-Serengeti ecosystem in East Africa where they have spent much of the past forty years—to explore the natural rhythms that permeate the African bush, illuminating life’s eternal dance. Their son David Scott, who designed the Sacred Nature book, selected images from his parents life’s work that capture the essence of the creatures photographed so that they might speak for themselves, mirroring their view of their world—and ours. The book is still available in both a standard and limited edition and is distributed globally.
OUR MISSION
The Scotts’ mission is to take the message of Sacred Nature to destinations around the world with the Sacred Nature Initiative (SNI), a series of Exhibitions and Multimedia Lectures designed to stir the imagination and rouse people to action on behalf of our planet. Crucial to this initiative is forging partnerships with educators and local conservation organisations at each destination whose work reflects the ethos of the SNI thereby highlighting the loss of wilderness and plight of endangered species worldwide.
The aim is to remind people that connecting with nature is available to everyone, that we can all play a part in preserving the wonder of nature’s creativity whether through tending a potted plant, marveling at the birdlife in a garden, taking a walk in a city park or spending time in a wilderness area close to home. To further this objective, in 2021 the Scott’s published a companion volume to Life’s Eternal Dance called Sacred Nature 2: Reconnecting People to Our Planet (HPH) This second volume highlights the wonder—and losses—of our natural world and its miraculous inhabitants. They have travelled to the ends of the earth in their quest to highlight the fate of mountain gorillas and desert elephants, polar bears and emperor penguins along with the charismatic big cats, exploring jungles and deserts, icy polar regions, islands and oceans and savanna grasslands in search of inspiration and solutions to protecting the planet. Sacred Nature 2 won the Silver Award in the Independent Book Publishers Awards in 2022.
OUR GOALS
Our objective is to mount Exhibitions and Multimedia Events at key venues around the world to INSPIRE, EDUCATE, CONSERVE. Each Exhibition will comprise 20–40 iconic Photographic Prints displayed within a Design Component curated by David Scott. Running in parallel to this would be a Multimedia Presentation combining Still Images, Video Clips, Music and Narration by the Scott’s displayed on one or more Screens within the Exhibition Space. Crucial to this endeavor is to partner with educators and local Conservation Groups at each destination to support their efforts locally. The first phase of Sacred Nature Events will commence in Santa Fe in New Mexico in mid-2024 with Exhibitions planned for Nairobi National Museum, Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, and World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC. Everyone has a “Sacred Nature”.
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Inspire
Capture people's imagination through imagery and story-telling, inspiring them to reconnect to nature. Everyone around the world can play a part in preserving the wonder of nature’s creativity.
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Educate
The future of the planet lies in the hands of younger generations. Crucial to the SNI is collaborating with education institutions around the world to help improve access to education about the environment and conservation.
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Conserve
Forging partnerships with local conservation organizations and communities around the world whose work reflects the ethos of the SNI. Our goal is to support and bring awareness to these organizations, thus increasing their impact.
Giving back through Photography
Jonathan and Angela know that one of the most powerful art forms for inspiration they can provide is through their photography. So in tandem with this initiative, they have recently made their fine art photography prints available online. With every purchase of their artwork, a portion of each sale will go towards one of the many wildlife organizations that their Initiative supports.
The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.
—Joseph Campbell