Join us for a series of events inspired by The Hepworth Wakefield Garden, engaging in our natural surroundings and our riverside location.
From gardening, growing and food to wellbeing, wildlife and waterways, Gathering Ground invites communal reflection upon the natural world in an urban setting and the ways in which we can connect with and care for it. The events will feature talks, walks, poetry, performances and activities for all ages, taking place in our unique setting at the edge of the city, where the built environment emerges from the banks of the River Calder.
Dates, details and booking information can be found below.
Sunday 7 August 2022
In Conversation: Sue Stuart-Smith and Ashley Edwards
2 - 3.30pm
Join psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author Sue Stuart Smith in conversation with gardener and broadcaster Ashley Edwards, chaired by our Cultural Gardener Katy Merrington. The talk will draw from their wealth of experience of working in medical, horticultural and literary fields, the speakers will discuss the various ways in which gardening, and spending time connected to nature, benefits our health and wellbeing.
Read more and book online.
Read MoreSunday 8 May 2022
Talk: Alysia Vasey - The Yorkshire Forager
12 - 1pm, £10 / Members £8.50 / Students £5 / Accompanying Carers FREE
Renowned expert in foraging and botanicals, Alysia Vasey (The Yorkshire Forager) has a vast knowledge of the history of plants, their medicinal and culinary properties and the hidden secrets of Yorkshire’s edible landscape.
Join us in our Auditorium to hear Vasey’s unique story, which charts a family journey from foraging as a vital way of sourcing food in Nazi occupied Poland to the comforts and challenges of a country life in Yorkshire.
Ticket sales support our programme of outdoor events.
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Brunch Talk and Tour: 'In the Garden' artists and Katy Merrington
10.30 - 11.30am, FREE, booking required
Join Wakefield-based artists Helen Riddle, Helen Thomas and Tony Wade for introduction to the inspiration behind their work in our café exhibition In the Garden, followed by a tour of the The Hepworth Wakefield Garden by Cultural Gardener Katy Merrington.
Katy will discuss the planting depicted in the artists’ works as part of an introduction to Tom Stuart-Smith’s design for the space, and will describe its current transition from Winter to Spring planting.
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Film: What Does Wakefield Sound Like?
10am - 4pm, looped, FREE, drop in
What Does Wakefield Sound Like? is an interactive audio-visual project produced by young people from the Next Generation Youth and Community Project in collaboration with musicians Duncan Chapman and Supriya Nagarajan and visual artist Helen Thomas.
This film follows young people from Eastmoor as they creatively connect with nature. Follow their journey before moving up into the galleries, where their sounds can be listened to while seated, looking out onto the River Calder. Listeners are encouraged to pause, reflect and be present as they listen to this very personal response to our current moment.
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For Families: Garden Play
11am - 4pm, FREE, drop-in
Come and play in The Hepworth Wakefield Garden.
Stack, build, experiment, draw and imagine with your family in the open air. Be inspired by the garden’s artworks and plants, the weather and buildings around you. No need to book, just turn up and play.
Garden Play was developed in collaboration with children and staff from The Castle Nursery, artist Steph Jefferies and architects Studio Polpo with support from the Liz & Terry Bramall Foundation.
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