Leah Hislop 'Labyrinth', for Abundance Garden Trail, 2013.

Commissions, Exhibitions & Events

‘Abundance’ is a new programme created for Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2013 featuring exhibitions, new commissions and events.

Abundance Garden Trail

SAW and NGS  worked with numbers of gardens across Somerset to develop a series of site specific contemporary arts commissions, setting the work within the wealth of cultivated garden landscapes of Somerset. The commissions were celebrated as a specific garden trail as part of the Somerset Art Weeks Festival.  This particular programme also aimed to support emerging and mid-career artists to develop new work and audiences in Somerset.

8 regional artists were selected to create new work using different materials and an approach of their own choice in response to the theme  ‘Abundance’ in a wider social, cultural, political and historical context. They were encouraged to use locally sourced materials in response to the landscape, culture and knowledge from each of allocated cultivated garden in Somerset.

Artists: Megan Calver, Fiona Campbell,  Alison Cockcroft, Kitty Hiller, Leah Hislop, Sue Palmer, Gillian Widden

Gardens: (Click the link to the information on NGS website)

The Walled Gardens of Cannington (nr Bridgwater, Sedgemoor) Art Weeks Venue 17
Little Yarford Farmhouse (Kingston St Mary, nr Taunton) Art Weeks Venue 34
Stoke St. Mary Gardens (Stoke St. Mary, nr Taunton) Art Weeks Venue 40
Aller Farmhouse (Williton, West Somerset) Art Weeks Venue 26
Tintinhull Garden(Tintinhull, South Somerset) Art Weeks Venue 56
Esotera
 (Foddington, nr Babcary) Art Weeks Venue 55
Henley Mill (Wookey, Mendip)  Art Weeks Venue 90

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Abundance x Exhibition

All about gardens! The exhibition featured limited-edition and multiple artworks inspired by nature’s abundance as revealed within the gardens of Somerset. Artists include Laura Pearcy, Chris Dunseath, Judy Willoughby, Emma Riley, Nadja McDevitt, Jan Ollis, Rachel Waldock, Sue Lowe, Margaret Wall, Judith Champion, Freya Morgan and Linda Bristow.

The Exhibition took place at Malthouse Gallery, East Lambrook Manor Gardens.

Abundance Feast

To celebrate the opening of the Abundance X exhibition and Abundance Garden Trail, SAW  hosted a special presentation of experimental food found only in Somerset at East Lambrooke Manor Gardens. Artist Tasha Tucker – Valecillo and professional chef Damon Palmer created a special ‘micro-taster’ menu that explored the sustainable food supply and the natural processes within our food production.

Abundance Pop-up Meadow

During the Summer Term of 2013, a Pop-up Meadow was created as part of the Abundance Arts Education Programme by primary school children from four Taunton Schools working with artist Freya Morgan (www.freyamorgan.com)

The aim of the project was to connect children with the creativity of the cultivation of gardens and art making in Somerset. The project was devised to develop 2d and 3d visual art skills and as well as learning around themes of cultivation and growing.

A showcase of the artworks was developed and ‘Pop-Up’ in Taunton at various locations over the summer.

Limited editions of Freya’s work was exhibited in Abundance X Exhibition at Malthouse Gallery at East Lambrook Manor Gardens.

Abundance Blog

More about Abundance, please visit  http://sawabundance.wordpress.com/

The programme was organised by Somerset Art Works, in partnership with National Garden Scheme (NGS), supported by Friends of SAW and funded by Arts Council England Lottery Funding.

Publication

A booklet was put together to provide documentation of the project. Edited by Zoe Li, contributed by Carol Carey, Dilly Bradley and all commissioned artists. Layout designed by Sebastian King.

To request a copy to be sent to you, please contact [email protected]