Exhibition runs from May 18 to June 18 with work by Bob Budd, Walter Lewis and Ruth Packham.

Join us for a meet the artists reception on Friday, 18th May from 18:00 to 19:30.

Overview: these three artists, who have very different approaches and methods to their creative ideas and processes, are observers of rural life. Animals, plants and people are focal points for study, reflection and inspiration. The interactions between farmers and their livestock, the form and structure of plant life and the practices of small-holders are all considered in this exhibition.

Bob Budd: As someone who grew up on a London council housing estate, then moved to the countryside, the encountering of farm animals left me with a strong, but also, contradictory impression. I was fascinated by the presence of animals in everyday life, appearing wholesome in a rural setting –– and yet unnatural –– the animals made to play our tune, not theirs, unable to follow their own desires.

Walter Lewis: In this photographic project Feeding Body and Soul I tell the story of a group of people in England and Wales who have rejected globalised, factory-scale food production, and instead chosen to produce food in ways which are actively regenerative of land, environment and community.

Ruth Packham: I have been working with wool fibre for over 10 years in what feels like a love affair with the material. The work I am exhibiting here is me allowing myself to be more conceptual, to hone my felt making skills and to work through ideas of form and structure. Feltmaking lends itself to the making of natural forms and some of the pieces are directly inspired by my observations of plant life.

For more information about location and hours go to: gardenroomgallery.com

Listen to an eclectic mix of sound, music, interviews, and news. Presented alternatively by Laura Denning and Richard Povall. Listen li

Visit our Featured Artist of the month selected from the art.earth membership.nnThis feature is published on the 1st of every month.

First Fridays happen (surprise!) on the first Friday of every month, except January. First Fridays is a gathering place for artists or anyone interested in the arts, an opportunity to share food and talk. Each month, after lunch, there is an informal presentation of work in progress by one or two artists who may be local or from far away.

You can check out details on our events listing on Facebook.

Join us on June 1 for First Friday

As always, we gather at 1pm for a shared lunch – bring something to share. Around 2, we re-convene for our guest artist talk, this month by Alain Pezardsnell.

Alain says:

My current approach to creativity is very instinctive and I tend to choose and use material on an initial, intuitive response. Collecting has been a consistent part of my life and has been central to my working practice since my early years at Art school. I have always kept materials and objects as a source of inspiration and a reminder of what was once evocative and important to me. During the course of my MA I have embraced with real fascination the idea of collecting in art and the psychological affects this can have upon us. I have questioned what we understand by collecting, why people collect and how people choose what to collect; what motivates them. I have been experimenting with the notion of appropriation within art and the study of the complex relationship between objects when placed in particular settings. I have been interested in exploring ways to create works which are immersive and interactive using the juxtaposition of one object with another to explore their associations with specific times, people and places.

The UK Global Nomadic Art Project takes place in the UK from June 9 to June 18, 2018.

Participation is by invitation only, but you can follow the event at http://gnap.uk

The Ephemeral River takes place entirely within the rich ecologies of the Dartington estate; it marks the launch of CCANW’s new Art+Science programme, a new three-year programme of exhibitions and activities reflecting our growing engagement with transdisciplinary and international working.
The Ephemeral River has a particular focus on river systems, and is followed by an international symposium Liquidscapes at Dartington from June 20-22 2018.

As its name suggests, the River Dart wraps around and provides a focal point within the estate: the river will become a site for exploration and interrogation by artists and other invited specialists with expertise in river systems and water ecologies.

Listen to an eclectic mix of sound, music, interviews, and news. Presented alternatively by Laura Denning and Richard Povall. Listen li

A three-day international gathering bringing together creative thinkers and doers to explore physically and figuratively our watery worlds and fluid states.

Another in the acclaimed series of international gatherings of artists and other thinkers produced by Dartington-based art.earth At this creative summit we will explore watery worlds and the state of being liquid; we will speak of water as an element in and of transition. Water on the move with places to go; water as muse; water as a wild, uncontrolled element of the sublime; water as solid or gas; water as a boundary, as edgeland; water as an ecological healer or indicator of environmental distress; water as an agent of immersion, as a former of landscapes, stronger than rock; water as mediator of political power and cultural agency. Drought.

Although many of those attending will be artists or creators, we welcome all voices to this event. There will be a particular focus on watery science; opening keynote speaker Tristan Gooley explores how we can read water, sea and river landscapes, and on Day 2 astronomer Prof. Paul Murdin OBE will explore water landscapes on other planets in liquid, gaseous and frozen states.

Sea and river swimming is another important thread running through the symposium. Our other opening keynote speaker, artist-swimmer Amy Sharrocks has been involved with organising many unique swimming events in and around London, and elsewhere. Alice Gartland (A Lotus Rises) is also a key voice amongst the swimming community. A round table towards the end of the event will include numerous contributions from significant voices in the swimming community in a part of the world where sea and river swimming are part of the lives of many.

Read the programme.

Booking is now open. Places are now quite limited.

Join us for this residential week as we continue our explorations of relationship with landscape and liquidscape –– part of art.earth’s compelling new programme of short courses. Swimming: labour of imagination is facilitated by artist / swimmer Kari Furre and artist / swimmer Nancy Sinclair.

Five intensive days all about being in the water and exploring how creative work and creativity can be empowered, supported and inspired by the physical experience of water, and swimming in particular.

You will spend time in the water: in the River Dart and in various nearby seas, such as Start Bay and Lannacombe Bay. This will include swimming in the gloaming, swimming as meditation, swimming technique and tips, partying by the sea and throughout exploring your creative responses to water and to being in it.

If you have an interest in swimming and in creative practice (whether or not you are a regular practitioner in either area), then this course is for you.

Listen to an eclectic mix of sound, music, interviews, and news. Presented alternatively by Laura Denning and Richard Povall. Listen li