Treasuring Trees
celebrating Derbyshire’s trees
Exhibition at Buxton Museum & Art Gallery
19th February – 8th June 2022
As the world changes, our trees are under threat. With the effects of rising temperatures, forest clearance and diseases like Ash Dieback, we are losing trees all the time. In this year when, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, there are plans to plant 1 million trees, three Derbyshire artists invite people to look at trees more deeply. We hope this reflection will foster personal wellbeing and involve people in biodiversity and climate change projects.
“With this exhibition, ‘Treasuring Trees’, we aim to encourage conversations about trees, to build a deeper understanding of the relationships between trees, landscapes and ourselves. We’d like people to celebrate Derbyshire’s trees”.
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| "Spirit of the Hawthorns", Valerie Dalling |
From tree-crowned Lows and Tors, to ravine woodlands, to nature reclaimed quarries, to green spaces in towns, trees grow into our lives across the centuries. As artists, Sarah, Valerie and I have drawn inspiration from history, landscapes and communities about their local trees. Their work creates a reminder of the presence of those trees in our lives and a warning of what we might lose.
The three artists have worked individually, together and with the community to create this celebration of Derbyshire’s trees.
Sarah EA Parkin is a watercolour painter depicting Derbyshire Dales landscapes with trees and highlighting areas on the point of change.
Gordon MacLellan is a poet, storyteller and puppeteer. Drawing together personal work and community projects, Gordon’s work reflects emotional responses to Ash Dieback and the changing woodland landscape.
Valerie Dalling is a Peak District photographer who has looked at birch trees in the National Park. Focusing on community health and wellbeing, her leisurely reflective approach aims to encourage a deeper appreciation of the landscape.
(links are to our instagram pages - other handles are below)
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| Puppets taking shape on a Toadtable |
Creeping Toad is adding puppets and poems to the proceedings, with a selection ranging from 4metre tall tree people to small oak-root goblins and birch boggarts. From community poems with the tall trees to pages from the Birch Boggart Spellbook there will be all sorts of Toad-work to (hopefully) entertain or offend
Community wall
During our preparation for Treasuring Trees, all three artists reached out to the community in different ways. This work has resulted in a community wall of paintings, poems, photographs and prints from people reaching from Leek to Sheffield, from Derby to Buxton. We're not going to start displaying those images here but here is an apple aperitif from Mary at Borderland Voices
Collective work
As well as our own work and the community participation, the three of us visited the fabulous ancient hawthorns at Hay Cop in the Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve. There is one section of the exhibition that has grown from those visits, all three of us responding in our own ways to these venerable trees
EVENTS AND VISITING THE EXHIBITION
Treasuring Trees is at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery,
Terrace Rd, Buxton, SK17 6DA
Tel: 01629 533540
Dates; 19th February - 8th June 2022
Meet the artists event 26th March, 2 – 4pm at the Museum
Keep an eye on our social media:
- @seaparkin_artist & @celebratingDerbyshireTrees
- @valerieDalling & @peakTrees
- @creepingtoad
- @SarahEAParkin-DerbyshireLandscapePaintings
- @ValerieDallingPhotography
- @creepingtoad
- @TreasuringTrees & @seaparkin
- @valerieDalling & @peakTrees
- @creepingToad
- exhibition composites c/o Sarah Parkin
- "Spirit of the Hawthorns" c/o Valerie Dalling
- puppets, hawthorns and postcards: c/o Gordon Maclellan
- Apple by Mary c/o Richard Egan
Creeping Toad postcards will be on sale
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