Fossilphant
Created by: Donna Newman
Sponsored by: Ford & Slater
Location: Leicester Museum & Art Gallery – New Walk
Overview
Fossilphant is a captivating sculpture inspired by the rich fossil heritage of Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire, home to the earliest fossilised evidence of life on Earth. It’s painted to resemble a fossilised skeleton, its bones subtly integrated into textured rock, as though it has been unearthed from an ancient, forgotten era. Surrounding the elephant are detailed plant and animal fossils, evoking the prehistoric landscape that inspired David Attenborough’s childhood adventures in the forest. Fossilphant honours the deep connection between nature, history, and the wonder of discovery, capturing the essence of life that thrived in Charnwood’s ancient soils.
Location
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery – New Walk
Meet the Artist
Donna Newman
Donna Newman is the Artist behind Eden-designs Murals. Working with Schools across the Midlands, she seeks to inspire young people by transforming their learning environments with her vibrant artwork. A fine Art graduate from Coventry University, Donna responds to clients with creativity and flair producing original, playful designs in a wide variety of subjects. She is a self-proclaimed addict of public art trails and has worked closely with Wild in Art on over 100 sculpture commissions helping to raise over £400,000 for charities through their sales. Working in numerous locations and on various surfaces, Donna is an extremely versatile artist who brings colour and life through her art.
Meet the Sponsor
Ford & Slater
Ford & Slater is one of the UK’s largest DAF Trucks dealerships and a proud family-run business.
We’re honoured to support LOROS Hospice, recognising their incredible work and helping ensure their compassionate care continues for those who need it most.
Meet the Elephants
Kaleidoscope
Created by: Glebelands Primary SchoolLocation: King Richard III Visitor CentreThe whole school had the brief of diversity. They then represented this in their designs along with the school values of Empathy, Learning, Respect and Kindness. The whole school agreed that...
Geraldine
Created by: Gartree High SchoolLocation: This + That by LOROSAll of our KS3 students worked so hard in coming up with incredible design ideas for our elephant - exploring different cultures, the idea of loss and healing, and things that give us happiness and comfort....
Atlas
Created by: Ellesmere CollegeLocation: Westcotes LibraryEllesmere students have been looking at environmental issues this year. They wanted to highlight some of those issues in the design of Atlas and in his description. Green house gas emissions associated with food...
Dorothy
Created by: Dorothy Goodman SchoolLocation: Attenborough Arts Centre - The Salmon GalleryThe sculpture was delivered to the Vocational Sixth Form site of Dorothy Goodman School. Students got to see the elephant for the first time in an end of day assembly. They were...
Rosemary
Created by: Danemill Primary SchoolSponsored by: SimplifyLocation: Leicester Cathedral - Main HallAfter hearing about the ASHA charity and how they support children in the slums of India the Children of Danemill thought there would be no one better to look to for...
Effie
Created by: Church Hill Infant SchoolLocation: Leicester Guildhall- Great HallWe based the design on our school values. Each class was given a focus value to create a design for their section of the elephant. The five designs were; Teamwork, Excellence, Being Unique,...
Addai
Created by: Christ the King Catholic Voluntary AcademyLocation: Westcotes LibraryAll children had the chance to submit a design idea for our elephant. From nearly 200 designs, a selection from across year groups were picked to be included in our final design. The idea...
Sparkle
Created by: Christ Church & St Peter's Primary SchoolLocation: LOROS Bookshop - WindowThe whole school took part in a competition to design Sparkle. We really wanted her to represent the school, our values… and our sparkly edges! Someone mentioned the tea towels...
Artie
Created by: Charnwood ArtsSponsored by: Morningside (Aspire Pharma)Location: Attenborough Arts Centre- The Salmon GalleryCharnwood Arts is dedicated to promoting creativity, inclusion and community engagement through the arts. This is why our artists wanted to create...