A new project in Stroud, called Growing Places, is creating a unique space where landscape, food, farming, and art come together to inspire community creativity.
Running from September 2024 through January 2025, the project welcomes ten resident artists to the grounds of the Gingerbread House, where they will each work on their own nature-inspired creations while also offering workshops for the local community.
The project is led by the artist collective Walking the Land and seeks to foster “wonderment and closeness with nature,” as described by team member Andy Freeman.
By inviting local community groups, schools, and young people to participate, Growing Places encourages attendees to connect with nature in new and imaginative ways.
Through art, the project spotlights local farmers and landowners, such as Stroud Community Agriculture and Oakbrook Community Farm, showcasing their sustainable practices.
Freeman noted that the project takes a broad view of art, encompassing not only traditional forms like drawing but also activities such as hedge laying and cooking.
“It’s about three things—being closer to nature, reflecting on where our food comes from, and doing it creatively,” he explained.
Among the resident artists are Tara Downs and Bart Sabel, whose work explores mycelium, the intricate network of fungal strands that form the underground structure of mushrooms.
This ecological focus has led them to create abstract paintings based on microscopic observations of mycelium, which continuously change and develop over time.
“They appear in ecology in such a way that we’re only beginning to understand,” Sabel noted.
The duo has been working with local secondary schools, drawing enthusiastic students who “queued up” to view mycelium samples through a microscope.
Downs emphasized the role of artists in sparking curiosity: “We get so enthused by a subject that we want to share the joy and new knowledge with the community,” she said.
“I hope that through these workshops and the space we’re opening up, people are inspired to learn more.”
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