Gardeners from the GROW Project at Inverness Botanic Gardens have created cyanotype prints which are now on display in the Community Gallery at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (IMAG).
Eleanor Campbell, High Life Highland’s Horticultural Trainer based at the Inverness Botanic Gardens, said: “Half of the Inverness Botanic Gardens are looked after by ‘GROW’, a horticultural therapy project.
“The GROW Project has been providing practical horticultural training for adults with additional support needs for over 15 years and now operates with a group of around 30 gardeners and volunteers, improving independence, health, and happiness.
“Depending on the season, you will find wildflowers, fruit trees, vegetable plots, bulbs, herb beds, a bug hotel and much more.”
Alison Parfitt, High Life Highland’s Curator (Engagement) at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, said: “Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is delighted to be able to showcase the creativity of the gardeners in the GROW Project by displaying their cyanotypes in the Community Gallery.
“Generally, the Community Gallery is used to display work by groups working in the museum and art gallery or within High Life Highland, and there are 3-4 exhibitions a year for this purpose.
“Slots are available for completed projects by external groups as well, with an accompanying engagement programme devised by the displaying group – for example, talks or workshops.”
More information on the Community Gallery can be found here: https://www.highlifehighland.com/inverness-museum-and-art-gallery/community-gallery/
Workshops were led at Inverness Botanic Gardens by Elaine Chisholm from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Participatory Art Practice course.
Elaine shared: “As part of the BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practices Course at the University of the Highlands and Islands, I was lucky to have the opportunity of a placement at the Inverness Botanic Gardens.
“As part of my placement, I held a participatory art workshop for the GROW project. It was a pleasure to share the cyanotype process with the GROW Project gardeners.
“The cyanotype process uses a mixture of iron compounds to create a coating for paper. When exposed to UV light and washed in water the coating oxidises to create ‘Prussian Blue’ contrast images.
Plants grown in the gardens were laid on the paper to shield areas of the paper from the UV light, creating striking botanical prints.
“Overall, it was a great way for the GROW gardeners to engage with the plants creatively, and record what they have been growing.”
The collaborative exhibition is set to run until Saturday 13th January, giving plenty of time for members of the public to make visit plans from now until 2024.
For arranging use of the Community Gallery space, please contact Alison Parfitt using the following email address: [email protected]
Please note that the Community Gallery is not a commercial or professional space. Any professional artists looking to display work are invited to instead contact Cathy Shankland using the following email address: [email protected]
