It’s our first Autumn here at Marton Wood, and it’s been a busy one so far.

Artists & Ecologists at the Wood

In early September, Carolyn Thompson, our CPD Manager, met at the Wood with Simon Pickles. Simon is the Director at the North & East Yorkshire Ecological Data Network. Carolyn and Simon walked the wood together and discussed the possibilities of a collaborative project that would bring data and art together. We hope to develop these ideas further into 2023.

Later in the month we held an artist visit with Andrew Woodall, fungi expert, ecologist and past President of the Mid–Yorkshire Fungus Group. We were joined by a group of enthusiastic artists, some returning to the Wood and some there for the first time. It was an abnormally dry early Autumn but luckily the Wood was still brimming with a wide variety of fungi.

Artist Walter Lewis shared his thoughts and photographs from the day as well as Artist Sue Harrison.‍

‘It was really enjoyable and thought provoking, creating a desire to learn more about fungi and their relationships in nature, it was visually exiting to see and also feel the different colours, tones, textures of the fungi. It was lovely to be around other people with a shared enthusiasm.’ – Attending Artist

‍Meeting the Local Community

Later in the month, Emily Wilson, a Project Manager here at Chrysalis Arts, met with the community in Marton-cum-Grafton where Marton Wood is located. Sitting in on the local parish council meeting, she spoke to the community about why Chrysalis Arts is at the Wood and what we’ll be doing there.

Then on 15 October, Chrysalis was joined by the parish council and local community members for a walk around the Wood with Ecologist Mark Hewitt. Mark has been involved with Marton Wood since the beginning of the project, and was able to discuss the Wood in-depth with the community.

‍School Visits and Workshops

Artist and Facilitator Alun Kirby and Ecologist Mark Hewitt have also been busy visiting the local primary school. Combining the creativity and ecology they’ve been teaching the children to identify local trees throughout the seasons, and to create stories from the natural world around them. Years 3–4 and 5–6 have participated in the workshops as a part of their Forest School curriculum.

What’s Next this Autumn

Later this month we’ll be holding an online session with all of the artists who have been involved at the Wood so far. The session will bring everyone together to synthesise, discuss and chart a way forward.

Winter will likely be quieter in the Wood, but we’re already looking forward to Spring and have some interesting projects and ideas in the works.

Learn More

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If you’re an artist interested in getting involved, please read the information on the project page.