WBN United Artists put out a call for responses to a text or book about mountains. Our starting point for 2026 was recommended by Nancy Campbell – Nan Shepherd’s book The Living Mountain: A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland, Canongate Canons, 2011.

We invited artists, writers, students and the public to make work and send us a recommendation for a shared bibliography of mountains inspired reading.

We received 200+ entries from 188 artists in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, USA.

We have artworks ranging from 3D bookworks and collages, to watercolours, oil paintings, letterpress prints, drypoints, etchings, monotypes, relief prints, screenprints, foil lithography, rust prints, rubber stamps, typewriter art, Tetra Pak prints, cinderella stamps, ink, calligraphy, altered and cut-out books, tunnel books, handwritten books, photography and textworks. The display includes origami mountains, foil topped mountains made from recycled tea boxes, mountains painted onto recycled dress patterns, folded from old cereal packets, embroidered and handstitched textiles, works made in reference to novels or other artists’ books, non-fiction, poetry, published speeches and letters.

You can download the shared bibliography as a pdf here.

For those who cannot visit in person, each piece will be posted in an online gallery on Instagram hosted by Linda Parr here.

WBN 2026 contributors: ABC Artists’ Books Clevedon, Ahlrich van Ohlen, Alastair R. Noble, Ali Woozley, Alison Raybould, Andrea Robinson, Andrew Morrison, Andy Robson, Angelo Ricciardi, Angus Carlyle, Anne Buckingham, Antje Mackenzie, Avril Makula, Bella Venable, Beth Evans, Brian Norman, Brooke Koven, Caren Florance, Carol Stark, Carol Wood, Caroline Fraser, Carrie Jaffe, Catherine Polley, Cathey Webb, Cecilia Mandrile, Chevalier Daniel C. Boyer, Claire B. Marcus, Claire Gladstone, Claire Goodyear, Clare Revolta, Clare Rogers, Claudia Sbrissa, Cloé Brunerie, Clyde McGill, Constanze Kreiser, Corinne Welch, Daniel Lehan, Danielle Grenier Cossey, David Dellafiora, David Howes, Donna Ralph, Edmund Chia, Elaine Knight, Elzbieta Wojcik-Leese, Esther Plomp, Eva Hejdström, Evan Moloney, Faizal Suhif, Fran Cave, Francesca Pullinger, Frans Baake, Frieda Falconer, Georgia Hibberd, Gerald Jatzek, Lesley Duxbury, Gillian Cooper, Hannah Kelly, Hans Jürgen Küster, Hayden Mengele, Henry Grahn Hermunen, Horst Tress, Imi Maufe, Irene Guerreiro, Jac Batey, Jamil Zakaria, Jane Anger, Jane Vigus, Jaume Rocamora, Jean O’ Rourke, Jemma Harford, Jen Ouson, Jennifer Wallace, Jeremy Dixon, Jess Moorhouse, Jil Fairclough, Jill Vigus, Jingyuan Ma, Jo Reed Turner, Jo-Anne McAllister, John McDowall & Sophie Loss, Josephine Corcoran, Joy Bosworth, Judy Goldhill, Judy Rodrigues, Juliet Wilson, Julz Henderson, Karen Blake, Karen Darlington, Karen F. Pierce, Kate Bernstein, Kate Howard, Katerina Mandarik, Katherine Lobo, Kathleen Furey, Kathy Bruce, Katrina Whitehead, Kausar Nigita, Kurt Johannessen, Leonor Décourt, Linda Parr, Lizzie Brewer, Lorraine Neeson, Louise Gray, Lynn Pilling, Marama Warren, Marcia Rosenberger, Maria White, Marian Kilpatrick, Marie-Therese Wisniowski, Marija Petrova, Mark Leahy, Mark Valentine, Martin Polley, Mary Kritz, Mavina Baker, Mel Joubert, Melanie Bäreis, Marjon Mudde, Michelle Keegan, Michelle Lynn Dyrness, Mike Dutton, Mireille Ribière, Mónica Goldstein, Mr Smith, Nancy Campbell, Neil Crawford, Nia Mc Crea, Nick Whimster, Nicola Atchley, Nicola Hay, Nicolas de La Casinière, Noelle Noonan, Nora Quinlan, Noriko Suzuki Bosco, Owen Stewart, Paul Hearn, Pauline Lamont-Fisher, Peter Andrews, R. T. Farmer, Rachel Singel, Ray Mackenzie, Renata Danicek, Richard Shipp, Robert Corrigan, Rosemarie Tonk, Rosemary Everett, A. Rosemary Watson, Roy Willingham, Ruth Shaw-Williams, Samantha Hartley, Sara Elgerot / rare autumn, Sarah Bodman, Sarah Byrne, Sarah Wootton, Scott McCarney, Serafine Christine Kratzke, Sharon Hall Shipp, Sian Scott, Sigrid Ehemann, Sigurborg Stefánsdóttir, Simon Hobbs, Spike Spence, Stefanie Dykes, Steve Dales, Steve Parsons, Su Fahy, Sue Vallance, Suely Castro Mello, Sumi Perera, Susan Molyneux-Hodgson, Susanne Eules, Suzanne Stronge, Suzlee Ibrahim, Tamar MacLellan & Philippa Wood, Teresa Ogando, Terrie Reddish, Tofu, Tom Sowden, Ulrike Stoltz, Valerie O’Regan, Varju Krisztián, Véronique Mermaz, Veronique Pozzi Painé, Vicki King, Walter Lobsiger, Ying Chieh Liu.

Watch our video showcasing some of the pieces in the show, published to celebrate World Book Night on 23rd April here.

After the exhibition closes, all artworks will be swapped and sent out to contributors with a mountain inspired keepsake produced for WBN2026 by Chrystal Cherniwchan and Craig Tattersall. Posters showing all the works submitted will also be exhibited at Limerick School of Art and Design this autumn.

Visitor information:
This exhibition is open to the public Monday – Friday 9am-5pm. No booking needed. The library is on the first floor of B block.

*Please note the main lift to the first floor is currently under repair. If you need step free access please use the main (North) entrance by Costa coffee, take the glass lift on the right hand side of the foyer by stairs  and call the library desk on 0117 3284750 for someone to open the door for entrance to the library.

The nearest car parking for visiting UWE Bower Ashton campus is – public parking meters on main road or at Ashton Court.

For more information on Bower Ashton Library, visitor access and campus map, see the library website.

UWE Bristol, City Campus at Bower Ashton, Kennel Lodge Road, Bristol BS3 2JT.