I have been busy with family lately and had starred a number of items for when I was able to send information out. That’s why you have so many blog entries today. I thought if I sent them separately you would not have such a lot to trawl through!!
Please let me know what you think of items I post. Maggie
Dedicated to contemporary art and ideas,
Hospitalfield is a place to work, study, learn, visit and enjoy…
|
|
|
|
Introduction
Over the last few months Hospitalfield house and estate has been very quiet and we have missed the programmes that we had to postpone or cancel which would have brought so many people to Hospitalfield. The sound of bird song prevailed until at the beginning of July, the diggers returned, dominating the sounds at Hospitalfield once again as we welcomed the contractors back to site. This was a great moment to see the capital development progressing again.
We will welcome people to join us online this year for the FIELDWORK International Summer School and to the fields around the house for our annual Beer & Berries Festival. We are very pleased to be able to announce the programmes for these events below.
As we make plans for the residency programmes at Hospitalfield, which is such an important part of our programme, we are developing a series of Micro-Residencies in September and look ahead to a full year in 2021.
The next twelve to eighteen months will be challenging but we know we will move through this period and emerge changed for the better and full of energy.
We are so grateful for the continued good will and support of our all many supporters. We look forward to welcoming you all here at Hospitalfield again very soon.
|
|
|
|
Appointments: We are currently in the process of appointing a Head Gardener
Deadline for applications is 30 August 2020.
We are also putting out to tender a Design Brief requesting notes of interest from designers for key elements of new graphic design around the Future Plan for the Garden & Garden Buildings. Deadline for notes of interest is 4 September 2020.
The Free Drawing School, a programme of drawing inspired by Hospitalfield’s historic walled gardens, has been thriving online with weekly challenges set by artists from all over the world. The challenges have been made into learning resources for anyone to download with demand for these coming from across the UK. There are new challenges being devised by artists in the future. We are very pleased that Dundee-based artist Kirsty McKeown begun her twelve month Free Drawing School residency in August, a little later than anticipated, we look forward to working with her very much.
The online Free Drawing School will continue weekly led by Kirsty McKeown until the classes can meet physically. The Free Drawing School Online Challenges with guest artists will become a monthly programme from September. Kirsty’s workshops at Hospitalfield will take place outside with appropriate distancing until the weather becomes too chilly.
|
Lockdown gave us the opportunity to focus on researching and writing a series entitled Stories from Hospitalfield. Writing these short pieces which delve into the finer grain history of the 19th and particularly the early and mid 20th century has been a fascinating process, one that will continue monthly rather than weekly from now on. A theme that is continually emerging from the research, and that we are very interested to focus more on, is the impact that being educated at Hospitalfield had for artists. It is clear that many artists who studied here under different individuals, went on to become respected educators themselves. Some were little known artists, others much more influential, all provided the teaching and inspiration for the next generation based on their experience and we are very interested in this generational cycle.
|
The Hospitalfield Kitchen has been producing great food as we work with Reach Across and Angus Council to support local people at this difficult time. Takeaway Nights which have funded the free meals have become quite a tradition now with sixty or so people coming to Hospitalfield to collect their dinner each Wednesday. We thank them and look forward to seeing everyone again from the 19 August when we move to a new system – still booking online and collecting from under the arch and beside the clock tower!
In the week beginning 21 September, Nigel Dunnett, who is the designer for the new walled garden at Hospitalfield will be working with us to set out the vast soft planting scheme in the walled garden. We already have a large number of volunteers who will come and help, some local others coming from quite a distance. For all those who sign up, meals and tools will be provided. Nigel will do a zoom meeting with everyone in mid-September and then guide everyone during that week as we get the plants in. The rest of the planting will follow in November with bushes and trees, including twenty one species of apple tree to be planted in the orchard.
|
|
|
|
The first phase due to open April 2021
The contractors came back on site in early July and the capital programme is back on track, perhaps a few months later than we had hoped, but we will be open for the season in April 2021. We may have the opportunity for a few events before then using the wonderful new café. In the week of the 21st September we are inviting all those who wish to volunteer to work alongside Nigel Dunnett and ourselves to get the soft planting and bulbs in the ground.
We have had good news that the Tay Cities Committee have passed our funding bid for £5.5m however the Tay City Deal must still be finally signed off by Government so we cannot celebrate quite yet. This is progress however and when the bid is finally agreed we can start work on the next phases of the project.
|
|
Now What?
FIELDWORK International Summer School
4 – 5 September 2020, 10am-2pm
Register to participate via Eventbrite
We are launching the two part FIELDWORK International Summer School entitled Now What? programmed with artists Bik Van der Pol. The programme for 2020 will be hosted online and in 2021 we expect to be back in the green fields of Hospitalfield.
Contributors to the online programme include curators Binna Choi, Galit Eilat, Tessa Giblin, and artists Ashanti Harris and Olivia Plender. In addition, the film What is Democracy? by film-maker Astra Taylor will be screened.
|
|
|
|
The annual Beer & Berries Festival is back!
Saturday 12 September
11am – 6pm
Bookings open 1st September via Eventbrite
Join us at Hospitalfield for our free outside event programmed and organised with Feast Journal.
Beer & Berries is the perfect opportunity to celebrate and learn more about the rich food and drink culture we have across Angus and Tayside.
With around twenty food providers and a programme of talks and events.
We are screening a film by the artist collaboration Myvillages and Company Drinks and look forward to workshops with artist Sneha Solanki.
Scottish Government Guidelines regarding Covid 19 will be followed to make this a safe event for everyone.
|
|
We make 30% of our annual turnover through earned income and this year we have not been able to operate or to make this income. Therefore your support is more vital than ever before.
If you would like to support Hospitalfield or find out more about our Friends Schemes and the programmes that we run for our Friends, please use the green arrow below to find out more.
We have an active and very warm Friends Membership and we would be delighted to hear from you if you would like to become part of this. There is a provision for Joint Friends and for Donor Friends.
All the support given through our Friends’ memberships schemes and donations, no matter how modest, is put to excellent use and invested in our work to further the aims of the charity.
This sort of support ensures that Hospitalfield can continue as the vital place for the support of artists and as a destination for visitors who, when they find Hospitalfield, tend to return again and again.
|
|
|
|
Thanks Maggie. Always good to know what’s going on at Hospitalfield. We will miss the residency this year and I look forward to seeing all the changes in 2021.