SEEING MOORE AT KEW — Saturday 13 October
The Big Draw comes to Kew with a day of exciting and varied drawing activities and workshops. Seeing Moore at Kew draws inspiration both from the Henry Moore exhibition and the amazing scientific research at Kew.
Artists and scientists will work together on ten workshops which will help you explore different approaches to creative arts and learn more about Kew. The workshops are free (Kew admission required), suitable for all ages, and are available between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
The Workshops
MIDNIGHT GARDEN
Taking place in front of the Princess of Wales Conservatory
Louise Clarke working with Anna Haigh and Clare Drinkell
Investigate and scrutinise the dramatic Arum plant family (Araceae) with their huge leaves. Learn how to identify your Skunk Cabbage from your Mexican Bread Fruit! Categorise and create your own collection of plants through field research sketches and handle some of the amazing specimens especially brought along for the day.
Transform your small sketches into your own giant Araceae silhouette using scissors to draw with, capturing all those fluid, jagged and sometimes even hairy outlines. Contribute your work to the group frieze. Throughout the day these dark silhouettes will gradually grow into a rich, exotic garden full of mystery.
THE QUEST FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES
Taking place between Sculptures 20 and 2 on grass near the Victoria Gate
Carlos Cortes working with Chris Bisson
In this “adventure” workshop, participants will be sent on a mission - to undertake tasks on a quest for endangered species. You will collect items of information that will help you to learn more about plants; their characteristics and the way scientists work with them at Kew. When complete you will be able to draw together an “abstract” plant made of coloured squares. ‘Plant’ them out, together with the results of others quests to create a colourful landscape that will keep evolving throughout the day. Just like the Kew scientists, those who have successfully followed the whole process will then be able to “decode” the information contained in all the ‘plants’ on display.
SEE MORE
Taking place in the Rose Garden behind the Palm House
Lucy Smith working with Tim Utteridge
Learn how to really look and see more in plants - in the same way as botanists and scientific artists do at Kew. Observe and make sketches of dissected flowers and fruits from Kew’s living collection, see examples which reveal the beautiful structures and forms hidden inside. A Kew botanist will be on hand to name and explain these details and structures. Use your sketches and observations to add to a large collaborative drawing.
FRUITS OF THE FOREST
Taking place behind the Waterlily House adjacent to Two Large Forms
Stuart Simler working with Iain Darbyshire
Using long lengths of bamboo with graphite sticks help to create a large-scale panoramic drawing of part the gardens and its trees. With the help of a Kew scientist and workshop artist observe, draw and learn how to identify and document the species of tree, its leaves and fruits.
GRAZING SHEEP
Taking place in front of Climbers and Creepers
Tom Hare working with John Lonsdale
Sheep play an important role as conservation grazers helping to restore the biodiversity of meadows at Kew and Wakehurst Place. Henry Moore filled sketchbooks with his observations of sheep. Help to build a flock of peacefully grazing sheep using willow.
DOWN IN THE MEADOW
Taking place on the mound mid way along the Broadwalk
Susan Allan
The sheep created in the previous workshop will need a meadow to graze. Using natural materials come and help create a meadow, illustrating the diversity of plants and insects that live there.
GOING UNDERGROUND AT KEW
Taking place in front of Museum No. 1
Patrick Letschka working with Professor Monique Simmonds
Underneath the ground at Kew lies a world of unseen roots, without them nothing we see above ground would survive. Observe fascinating specimens, learn about their botanical role and explore their visual differences. Make a unique drawing of them using wax resist and washes of colour — a technique favoured by Sculptor Henry Moore, to help create part of a colourful and imaginative root system.
ARCHITECTURAL PLANTS
Taking place in the Princess of Wales Quadrangle
Oliver Russell working with Nigel Taylor
Inspired by the forms, volumes and colours of Henry Moore’s sculptures observe and draw the intricate forms, structure and surface patterns evident in cacti. See the amazing internal structures of Cacti and explore these using paper, card and pencils to create 2 and 3 dimensional drawings. The curator of Kew Gardens, Nigel Taylor will be on hand with his wealth of knowledge to inform on the scientific aspects of these extraordinary cacti.
FROM NATURE TO SCULPTURE
Taking place in front of the Orangery and in the Orangery Conference Room
Steve Geliot working with Wolfgang Stuppy and John Dickie
Look down the lense of a microscope to see the amazing detail of tiny seeds, record the details of what you see then use these studies to make larger drawings using charcoal.
HERBARIUM VOUCHERS
Taking place near the Nash Conservatory
Steven Follen working with Gemma Bramley
The Herbarium at Kew holds a collection of over 7.5 million plant specimens. A herbarium specimen is a whole plant, or part of one, pressed and mounted onto cardboard along with a label describing what it is, where it came from, who collected it and when they did so. Each is a record of what grew where over time.
In this workshop you can make herbarium specimens by drawing plants and creating your own label. You’ll be working with Kew scientist Gemma Bramley and artist Steven Follen. We’ll have lots of plant material to inspire you to draw and discover some of the many different shapes and textures you can find in leaves and flowers. Hopefully you'll learn a little more about the incredible taxonomic work at Kew. And you'll be able take your newly created specimens home with you.
Gemma Bramley is a senior taxonomic botanist from the Kew Herbarium. Her specialist interest is the Lamiaceae family (the mints and allies), especially those from the tropical rainforests of South East Asia.
Steven Follen is an artist and educator whose work includes making museum collections accessible to wider audiences.