Digbeth Community Garden and our linked environmental charity Birmingham Environmental Education Project are running some outdoor arts, crafts & gardening workshops over the summer and autumn in the Garden.
Digbeth Community Garden is located next to The Warehouse, Birmingham Friends of the Earth’s environmental community building. 54-57 Allison St B5 5TH.
- Thursday 26/8 6pm-8pm – Spoon Carving
- Friday 27/8 6pm-8pm – Introduction to botanical ink making – Annie Randall
- Monday 30/8 6pm-7.30pm – How to Garden for Wildlife – Jacob Williams
- Saturday 4/9 3pm-5pm – Charcoal Drawing Workshop – Sophia Moffa
- Saturday 11/9 10am-12noon – Willow Weaving
- Tuesday 14/9 6pm-8pm – Spoon Carving
More details, prices and booking are below. If you have any questions about the Wildlife Gardening, Botanical Inks or Charcoal Drawing workshops, please email digbethcommunitygarden@gmail.com. For the others please contact Sustainable Life via the booking link.
Monday 30/8 6pm – 7.30pm – How to Garden for Wildlife – Jacob Williams
Learn how to encourage wildlife into your garden or community space
This practical workshop will look at incorporating different habitats into urban spaces such as
ponds, bee banks, food forests and meadow patches.
The workshop is led by Jacob Williams, Senior Engagement Officer at The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country and long-standing volunteer at the Digbeth Community Garden.
£5 per person. Book here.
Friday 27/8 6-8pm – Introduction to Botanical Ink Making – Annie Randall
Come and explore how to extract colours from natural materials, and take home your own botanical inks. In this relaxed, introductory session we will go over the basics of natural ink making, how to use them, and create some beautiful botanical inks in the process. All materials provided, but please bring garden
gloves if you have them.
£20 per person. Book here.
Annie is a self taught artist and environmentalist who works mainly with cyanotype print making, but has more recently been delving into the world of natural inks and paints to move towards more ecological practices.
@artivist_ran www.annierandallart.com
Saturday 04/9 – 3pm – 5pm – Charcoal Drawing Workshop – Sophia Moffa
Charcoal is a medium which is a little out of control, it’s hard to control because its qualities are soft and volatile which escape from the borders you set out for it. Exactly for this reason this material allows for interesting possibilities in your drawings.
Within the Digbeth community garden the charcoal workshop will take its participants through a charcoal drawing lesson using compressed charcoal and vine charcoal which are made in the garden itself using the willow branches that grow there.
The workshop will last two hours, firstly making your own vine charcoal then learning some drawing charcoal techniques using our surroundings in the garden and in particular capturing the light and the energy of our subjects. Finally, each of you will go home with a little bunch of charcoal sticks to keep practicing at home with!
Sophia Moffa will be running the workshop; She is an Italian artist based in Birmingham. She holds a BA in sculpture and an MA in Fine Art. Her practice is focused on the connections between the plant kingdom and society, commenting on contemporary issues of privilege and inequalities within society.
£5 per person. Book here.
Thursday 26/8 & Tuesday 14/9 6pm – Spoon Carving – Sustainable Life
Join us for a 2 hour course learning how to make your own simple wooden spoon using carving tools provided.
Take your wood from log to usable spoon in one session.
This workshop is run by Sustainable Life who run regular monthly events and courses that promote sustainability and learning in the Birmingham area
£30 per person. Book here.
Saturday 11/09 – Willow Weaving – Sustainable Life
Join us for a 3 hour course learning how to make your own simple round willow basket using buff willow wands and a pair of secateurs. You’ll learn how to start the base, how to craft a simple pairing weave, transition to the sides of your basket and complete a basket rim to hold the whole peice together.
All materials will be provided on the day and you’ll have a finished basket to take home with you!
Please ensure you have a working email address assigned to your customer account as we will be sending you H&S and Directions documents to read over prior to your visit.
£30 per person. Book here.
If you have any questions about the Wildlife Gardening, Botanical Inks or Charcoal Drawing workshops, please email digbethcommunitygarden@gmail.com. For the others please contact Sustainable Life via the booking link.