Celebrating a summer of art in the park

The summer of 2024 saw artists, writers, circus practitioners and visitors made up of families, students and members of the local communities descend upon the lush green spaces of Wivenhoe Park for the Art in the Park workshop series.

Art in the Park

The summer workshop series delivered by Jess Twyman and her team at Art Exchange with the support of the Arts and Cultural Fund from Essex County Council, included seven art workshops which took place on Saturday afternoons throughout the summer period.

Starting with a Tree Treasure Trail clay workshop with artist Elaine Tribley on 20 July, and finishing in style with a Circus Skills extravaganza delivered by the Grand Theatre of Lemmings on 31 August, Jess and co. welcomed over 300 guests to Wivenhoe Park and celebrated the greenery with art and creativity.

Wivenhoe Park

With many young families joining the Art in the Park workshops, a new sense of life was felt in the old trees of the historic parkland during what is usually quite a quiet period for the University, with most of its students absent for the summer. 

But even the postgraduate students and staff members who attended the workshops were inspired by the parkland, jumping at the opportunity to explore their place of study or work from a completely new angle.

“A beautiful park‚ I learnt so much about plants I usually walk past. I'll never walk past those plants in the same way again!” said one University staff member.

It was wonderful also to welcome members of the local community who had never visited Wivenhoe Park before: “I had never been to the park before and really enjoyed exploring it. I loved learning about the plants and their properties and the odd snack along the way!” said one local participant.

Thank yous

We would like to thank all the amazing practitioners who joined us on our creative exploration of Wivenhoe Park this summer. With thanks to:

• Elaine Tribley
• Claudia Boese
• Jack Briggs-Miller
• Lora Aziz
• Dr James Canton
• Clare Isles
• Tom Armstrong
• Mandy and her team from Grand Theatre of Lemmings

We would also like to thank our guests! To everyone who joined us and enjoyed the activities in the Park. From local families to staff and students at the University of Essex, and even some alumni! We loved experiencing your joy at the discovery of new skills and interests and we hope to see you again at Art Exchange soon!

Finally, a huge thank you to the Art Exchange and wider Library and Cultural Services teams, without whom none of this would be possible. To Jess Twyman and Marina Cusi Sanchez for their unwavering dedication. To Hanna Jones and Elena Ikonomou for getting the word out there. To Gisselle Giron, Dr Matt Bowman and Dr Sarah Demelo for all of your help (including the creation of a herd of clay cows!), and to everyone in the Library and Cultural Services section for supporting us through a very busy summer of Art in the Park.

Remember to follow Art Exchange on Instagram to stay up to date with the latest exhibitions, events and workshops!