Published 13.11.2023
by Kids’ Own
by Kids’ Own
A children�s arts organisation and publishing house.
A children�s arts organisation and publishing house.
On October 25th, a group of artists, scientists, and community leaders came together to initiate our new Climate Action project with Cranmore Community Co-Op. This project, a collaborative effort between Kids’ Own, Cranmore Community Co-Op, and several key experts, aims to tackle climate change, promote biodiversity, and encourage connections across generations.
The meeting was an opportunity for the project’s creative and scientific minds to meet, share their expertise, and start building the project’s foundation.
The artists in attendance were, Sarah Lundy, Karen Webster, Ruth Le Gear, Naomi Draper and Brenda Kearney. The Scientists and Biodiversity experts were Ruth Quinn, Fiona Britton, Aga Piwowarczyk and Martina Kilian. Vanya Lambrecht-Ward, artist support and advisor and long-term Kids’ Own Associate Artist, led the discussions and brought valuable insight.
Connie Nell and Lisa Wallace, community workers at Cranmore Community Co-Op hosted a wonderful afternoon in the garden.
The garden tour highlighted the impressive work of the Cranmore Co-Op, where a century-long history was unveiled. Connie and Lisa provided insights into community heritage and environmental stewardship.
The day featured discussions where each artist shared their work and approaches. Simultaneously, experts in biodiversity and horticulture introduced themselves, paving the way for collaboration.
The participants each brought something representing their practice or a thought or idea about the project, as they introduced their individual practice.
Brenda shared her homemade fennel bread, representing her interests in growing and making sustainably, and with a focus on care. As Karen spoke about her practice, she presented handmade books made from handmade paper, emphasising her dedicated to sustainability in the creative process. Sarah brought her own compost and other symbols of her interest in cycles, slowness, death, renewal and slowing down, offering insights into her artistic inspirations. Martina spoke about her work with young people in nature, her non-directive approach, and shared some beautiful, simple constructions from willow. Aga brought a book on soil, demonstrating its wide range of colours and vibrancy. Naomi brought some castings of parts of plants, part of her work on what she calls “rest forms” — objects that last beyond the life of a plant, but are not lifeless.
Four Seasons in Our Garden is set to be a transformative project, merging art and science to address climate change and embrace biodiversity. It showcases the power of collaboration and connections across generations in shaping a sustainable future.
Keep an eye out for updates on this project as it progresses, demonstrating the potential of art, science, and community cooperation in making a positive impact on our world.
This project is kindly funded by Creative Ireland Climate Action Fund.