Endangered Exchange

Endangered Exchange is an upcoming international mural, mentorship, and cultural exchange project led by Hayley Garner (AYLO) in collaboration with Victoria Firth and The Wild Mural Projects. The project will connect artists and communities in Rochdale, UK, and Kenya through public art, environmental storytelling, conservation research, and creative collaboration.

The idea behind Endangered Exchange was born from a shared passion for both muralism and the natural world. As an artist whose work increasingly explores humanity’s relationship with the environment, AYLO wanted to create a project that moved beyond simply painting wildlife onto walls. Instead, the aim is to create a meaningful exchange where artists immerse themselves within different landscapes, communities, and conservation stories before translating those experiences into large-scale public artworks.

The project will bring together emerging and established artists from both the UK and East Africa, creating opportunities for mentorship, shared learning, and international collaboration. As part of the exchange, artists from Kenya will travel to the UK to take part in research, school engagement, and mural creation in Rochdale, while UK artists will travel to Kenya to work alongside local artists, conservation organisations, and communities connected to endangered wildlife and fragile ecosystems.

g work based purely on photographs or online references, the artists will spend time learning directly from conservationists, local communities, and environmental organisations. The exchange will explore not only endangered species themselves, but also the wider human stories connected to them — from habitat loss and climate change to tourism, local economies, culture, and coexistence with wildlife.

Alongside the murals, the project will include workshops, artist talks, school engagement, mentorship opportunities, and documentary filmmaking. Young people and emerging creatives will have the opportunity to learn directly from professional mural artists while also engaging with themes around conservation, sustainability, storytelling, and cultural identity.

A key part of Endangered Exchange is its focus on mentorship and access. The project has been designed not only to create ambitious public artworks, but also to support artists at different stages of their creative journeys by opening doors to international collaboration and providing real-world experience within large-scale mural production.

For AYLO, the project represents a natural progression of both her artistic practice and personal interests. Having spent years travelling internationally creating murals, diving, documenting marine environments, and exploring environmental themes within her artwork, Endangered Exchange brings those worlds together through a project rooted in creativity, education, and human connection.

At its core, Endangered Exchange is about using art to create emotional connection. While statistics and headlines can often make environmental issues feel distant or overwhelming, storytelling and public art have the ability to make people stop, reflect, and engage on a human level. Through murals, shared experiences, and cultural exchange, the project aims to spark conversations around conservation, responsibility, and the fragile relationship between people and the natural world.