A Celebration of creative work achieved by participants of Canopy’s Creative Walks in Nature project was held at The West Dean Centre, Bream on Sunday 10th December. Over 75 members of the local communities around Bream and Parkend enjoyed a celebratory cup of tea or glass of wine. Alison Bruce, Chair of West Dean Parish Council that supported the initiative opened the event where poetry was read and music played.
In the early Autumn local residents signed up to join a Creative Walk in Nature and an Art Workshop.
Canopy extended its Creative Walks in Nature programme by working with the local community from the parish of West Dean over the last 4 months.
Four Walks in the natural environment around Bream and Parkend were offered with participants encouraged to develop their ideas inspired by the walk. Canopy offered a couple of half day workshops at The West Dean Centre and The Memorial Hall, Parkend for participants to develop their initial notes. Participants who made sketches, took photographs or wrote words/poems were able to develop these into more substantial works with support from Canopy members -Roger Drury, Sara Rickard or Rob Olins.
Andrew MacBean from the Forest of Dean camera club has taken photographs of all the work so that next year a travelling exhibition about Canopy’s Creative Walks in Nature can tour venues across the forest.
Canopy already has a track record of strong engagement with communities in the forest through the arts festivals it has delivered and the Creative Walks have grown in popularity. A recent Radio 4 programme of Ramblings with Clare Balding was recorded in February 2024 and aired nationally on 2nd March 2023. Over the last 18 months Creative Walks have developed with a variety of routes around the forest, and most operate at capacity of twelve with waiting lists!
ON THE WALKS
Participants were provided with small notebooks and encouraged to respond through photography, writing, sketching or simply ‘being in the moment’. Along the route we stopped to observe carefully, notice a tree or a view. There were opportunities to explore mark-making in a variety of drawing media. This included using sticks or feathers to record textures.
Some people wrote words/poetry, everyone was given time to engage with their senses for a time without talking…… and heard music playing in the woods..
Poetry was introduced by the leader reading a poem written by a Forest poet.
Between September and October 2023 Canopy led 4 walks, two in Parkend and two in Bream.
Participants who joined one of these walks then was invited to attend an Art Workshop. Canopy offered 5 workshops in October and November.
THE EXHIBITION & CELEBRATION
In celebration of all the hard work our participants have put into this project, we showcased their finished pieces of art in an art exhibition at The West Dean Centre in Bream on Sunday 10th Dec and will then become a travelling exhibit across the region to promote these projects, starting with FoD Fringe Fest 2024.
The work displayed has been photographed by Andrew MacBean from the FoD Camera Club. Throughout 2024 there will be a promotional exhibition touring venues across the Forest of Dean (and Gloucester). Canopy hopes this will help others understand more about Creative Walks in Nature and the considerable benefits of spending time outside in our beautiful Forest of Dean!
Some beautiful pieces of artwork created by the participants, inspired by nature
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