GREEN ART IN SWANSEA
An environmental art project organised by the
City & County of Swansea Artists in Residence Project

Work by pupils of Mayals School, Swansea with artist Tina-Marie Cunningham.
Photographer Bernard Mitchell
EXHIBITIONS: Work from Primaray Schools in Swansea - Don't miss!!!
Grand Theatre -
Studio Arts Wing - 10th June to 5th July.
Focus - Green Art
Foyer of County Hall - 26th June to 5th July. Focus - Residencies in Action
Dylan Thomas Centre - 2nd July to end of August. Focus - Residencies in Action
Taliesin - 17th June to 5th July.
Focus - Residencies in Action

These pages are currently being developed as the project progresses. Please view the SCHOOLS INDEX PAGE to see some of the work.

To make the most of these pages it suggested that you navigate between the pages via the special links table in the left-hand column (below the standard pages links).

'Arts for All' lottery funds, with contributions from schools, have been used to provide two day Taster Residencies for KS1 children that explore environmental art at school and in a forest setting. Environmental art first poses the question, 'What is it that I see?' the child then makes a response and it is this interrogation that makes it so effective for small children.

The Green Art Taster residencies present children with the opportunity to make work that shows their understanding and demonstrates their appreciation of shape, colour, texture and pattern. The children will be able to create real artworks in public spaces, sometimes on a grand scale, even though they may last at most only a few hours. Their work will be recorded photographically by themselves, by their teachers and by the artists and photographers who will work with them.

Towards the end of the twentieth century a growing concern for the environment impacted on British and American art. British artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, David Nash and Richard Long began to create forms of art that were new, but which reminded us of prehistoric and non-western art such as stone circles, Peruvian sand drawings and Aboriginal bark paintings.

The essence of this art is that it should be in and of the environment. Richard Long wrote, 'My art is in the nature of things'. He travels the world creating formal works based on circles, squares, lines, spirals, using whatever is to hand such as stones, sticks, grass, mud.

Long's work is conceptual, that is, it is the idea that is important. For example, a walk in the desert taken in a straight line can be
represented in the gallery by photographs, maps or words. Environmental art often concentrates on the ephemeral or upon work that changes gradually over time. Andy Goldsworthy makes art out of ice and snow or flower petals and David Nash plants ash trees in geometric forms and spends years cultivating them into just the right shape.

The work is often made in inaccessible wild places and the key to appreciating it is in the documentation, in particular the photography that can be shown in the gallery or collected into glossy books and catalogues. The photography is often so good that we almost feel that we have actually seen the work in question and a few carefully written words can foster this idea.

Sometimes works can be recreated for the gallery. Richard Long has created his geometric forms in galleries across the world, using jagged stone and rough wood, yet in essence they represent the outside space brought inside.

Other artists have concentrated on representing the environment in works that dry out, rot or otherwise change over time in response to natural forces. David Nash's archetypical wooden forms speak of the nature of wood and the way it behaves as it dries.

Many environmental artists prefer their work to remain where it was made, activating the space around it, created in and of the landscape. This preference has been encouraged by the growth of especially dedicated sculpture parks such as Grisdale, Yorkshire and the Forest of Dean.

Welsh art has always been influenced by the landscape and Wales has its own exponents of environmental art that include Tim Pugh, and David Petts as well as David Nash. You can find some examples of Welsh artists who work with the environment on the website ArtCymru.co.uk

Lynne Bebb
City & County of Swansea Artist in Residence

The artists in residence ...

David Marchant

Sara Holden - CLICK ON THE IMAGE -
to read about the artist

Tina-Marie Cunningham - CLICK ON THE IMAGE - to read about the artist

Forest School - A Background

Forest School is an innovative development, based on Danish principles, to provide young children with an education which encourages appreciation of the wide, natural world and which would encourage responsibility for nature conservation in later life.

Bridgwater College Forest School, Somerset has been developing the concept further, with the philosophy to encourage and inspire children and young people to grow in confidence, self-esteem and independence.

Forest School in Swansea Neath Port Talbot is being set up to enable children to enjoy the outdoors in a safe and supportive environment, which so many children are not able to experience as the risk is perceived as too great.

Forest School provides a unique education experience by tailoring an educational curriculum to a participants learning style rather than vice versa, using the setting of the outdoor woodland environment. We can meet the majority of the Desirable Outcomes and of the National Curriculum.

We create a safe environment, whilst allowing the children freedom to explore, to follow their own desires to learn and to have fun.

By succeeding in small achievable tasks, which are designed to take into account individual's different learning styles and which increase in complexity, those attending increase in self-esteem and self confidence. All children, from the age of three upwards, can benefit from Forest School. A positive experience at an early age will have long-lasting effects for the younger children. They would attend regularly on a weekly basis, preferably over a year in order to have the most benefit. The activities cover a huge range of topics and skills from woodland crafts and art, earth education activities, and play, making dens and shelters, sitting round a campfire, eating toasted marshmallows.

Here in Swansea Neath Port Talbot, we are currently training adults as Forest School Leaders & Workers and running pilot schemes, so that in the near future we will be able to offer further tasters and regular sessions in school-time and play-schemes in the holidays.

June Frances
Development Worker, Forest School Swansea Neath Port Talbot