Art projects

The British Mycological Society runs the Massee Arts Grant, named after the first President of the British Mycological Society, George Edward Massee. The grant offers financial support for the creation of artistic works that stimulate dialogue between artists, mycologists and the public. The mission of the British Mycological Society is to promote fungal science and we recognise that art, in all its forms, provides a powerful route through which we can attract new audiences, provoke discussion and stimulate interest in mycology. We are showcasing the work of this year’s Massee Arts Grant awardees here!

Massee Arts Grants awarded in 2024

Walking with Mushrooms

Sarah Nicolls and Seb Bacon

Sarah Nicolls is a world-leading concert pianist (called an “edgy Brit” by The Guardian) and runs arts and ecology residencies on her farm in Gloucestershire. Sarah is currently supported by Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation programme in her quest to develop a lightweight vertical grand piano which enables new sounds to be found. She has performed on five continents and has composed her own music since 2005. She is also working to increase biodiversity and habitat on her land in Stroud and makes shows about the environmental pressures of our day.

Seb Bacon is a data engineer and fungus enthusiast. He leads the team at the University of Oxford which generated the first global insights into Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic, using 58 million patient records. In his spare time, he generates data-driven insights for community projects. He is also a mushroom fanatic, frequently leading his children through thickets and up hillsides to spot the latest Gloucestershire and beyond mould, mushroom, fungus.

Update on Sarah and Seb's project

We’re busy working towards our virtual event on UK Fungus Day, progress is good and we’re doing final testing now! We've found that the AI models are quite expensive to run, so we may have to limit attendance to stay in budget, but we’re confident that we can support a few hundred participants at least, from all over the UK. The website is here - please register before UK Fungus Day on 5th October with your email and postcode, and then you'll be sent an email telling you how to generate and download your personalised 10 minute podcast, unique to your location.

Fungi Sessions: Give Voice

Hannah Read

Hannah Read is an award winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and composer. Born and brought up in Scotland and now based in Northern California, her music straddles both sides of the Atlantic. Equally at home improvising on fiddle, playing Appalachian old-time music or delivering finely wrought original songs, she is an artist that gets equal thrill touring as an International band leader, as well as a collaborative side-musician.

Portrait photograph: Samuel James Taylor.

Update on Hannah's project

Watch this video to see how Hannah Read's project 'Give Voice' is progressing as we get closer to UK Fungus Day.

Video