Community Garden Art Projects
​The Community Garden Art Project is my latest way to remind people that everyone is born creative - and reconnect them with all the benefits that come with making something together. ​Designed to foster good mental health, this project starts in nature, reconnects you with your innate creativity and builds connections with other people.
There are two ways in which I run Community Gardens Art Projects. One way involves a hands-on workshop. The other way, it's run more or less remotely, which opens it right up so people can participate from anywhere in the world.
I love that!
This collaborative art project is for anyone wanting to cultivate creativity, confidence, calm and connection. It involves slowing down, getting into a lovely flow state, and making something beautiful with our collective input. There's a bit of to and fro involved over a period of a few weeks.
Here's the gist of how it works.
Once you've booked your spot for the project, you'll get some guidance from me about how to do some no-stress, loose and gestural, feel-good drawing.
You don't need to be 'good at drawing.' Collectively, everyone's imperfections are what make each collaboration beautiful.
Using everyone's drawings, I make cut paper stencils, and then print them onto a length of fabric to create a unique large-scale artwork.
Next, I cut the Community Gardens fabric into pieces, and send each participant their very own piece - making sure it includes the motif made from their drawing - to embellish with slow-stitching.
You don't need to know how to do fancy embroidery techniques (though if you do know how, go for it). My stitches are rough and ready, and I like the rawness they lend to the fabric. Anyway, the point is to enjoy being in flow.
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Relax. Breathe. Stitch.
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Once they've embellished their piece of fabric, participants can choose what they'd like to do with it. You could make an artwork to put on your wall, a shoulder bag, a lampshade, a cushion, a dillybag for your ever-straying spectacles... whatever takes your fancy.
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Community Gardens Art Project - Wetlands
New projects coming in 2025
My most recent Community Gardens project was centred around wetlands. Participants from Australia and around the world went out to get to know their local wetland whether it was a nearby waterway, river, lake, ocean, pond, marsh or swamp.
They spent time there. They observed the plants and animals, they stood still enough to see the tiny fish. They read up on the area or got in touch with their local conservation groups to find out more about the biodiversity and the health of the wetland. And they drew the plants and animals and insects they saw. ​
Here's some photos of the fabric I created from their drawings...
I've really enjoyed the Community Gardens Wetlands project - so much so, that I'm going to do another one soonishly.
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This time it will be aimed at families - and yes, it would be a cool present for any kid in your life who loves drawing or nature or waterways or conservation or slow-stitching... or all of the above.
I'll launch this sometime soon, so if you want to be amongst the first to know, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Instagram @clothjulie.
Everyone is born creative, and every day is an opportunity to perform a new creative act.
- The Imperfect Manifesto -