Exciting news! Waterhouse Science Art Prize Finalist 2026 - Sharon Peoples

Sharon Peoples is one of the finalists in the 2026 Waterhouse Science Art Prize hosted by the South Australian Museum, announced recently. Her work ‘Natural History?’, a hand bound book with an embroidered cover, explores the demise of the Swift Parrot. In 2020, a short residency at the National Museum of Australia gave Peoples access to specimens to draw and photograph. From this, she began to using stitch as a metaphor for environmental repair, as well as juxtaposing images of bird displays in museums with living birds.

‘Natural History?’ is based on a letter written by Dr Bob Brown to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, published in The Saturday Paper in 2023. Her growing practice of bookbinding seemed to be an ideal vehicle to play around with the notion of government approvals of de-forestation by using hand cut rubber stamps and cut-outs of birds.

NatureArt Lab is proud to share this news about Dr Sharon Field, one of our wonderful tutors helping to promote engagement with nature.