The second edition of Out Of Nature closed on October 25th after three weeks of buzz and excitement, as the word got out, and more and more people came to admire the autumn colours, the sculptures, and sample the wonderfully creative food. Visitors came from Zurich, Paris, London, Bristol, Devon, Newcastle…

And just as importantly, many people who may not feel comfortable in an art gallery came, and loved the experience. We are not sure, but we think we had well over 3,000 visitors, including schools and residents from various homes. This doesn’t compare with the tens of thousands Westonbirt receives, but this is quite high for a remote county like Herefordshire, yet it never felt crowded.

The gardens at Newport House were looking more mature and lush than they ever have (credit to the dedicated gardening team led by Dave Gray), and we were fortunate that an exceptionally clement autumn enabled visitors to soak in the beauty of the sculptures and the gardens at their own pace, often coming back for more.
The Brazilian couple in the kitchen, Paula and Pedro, indulged in a creative cooking frenzy, coming up with new recipes every day to process all the produce coming from Lynette in the walled garden. Please look up some of their best recipes here!

 
I am very grateful to all 37 artists for showing their work here, about 200 pieces in total, of outstanding quality and credentials. Some delivered their pieces from quite far, and it created a show that visitors said filled them with awe and wonder.

 
We sold 60 pieces in total, including a few repeat editions, which generated a revenue of £10,000 in commissions. Together with the £15,000 on ticket sales and £9,000 on food sales, it generated a profit of £14,000 for the Cart Shed.
 
Beyond the financials, the show achieved its objective of providing visitors with an experience: that of the beauty of Nature, and our link to it. Whether it was walking through the gardens and seeing the sculptures, or children playing in the tree house. And it is that link that enables our  clients of The Cart Shed to heal.
 
Our thanks to the media that covered this event even though it is still young: the Hereford Times gave us great coverage, the Telegraph a lovely article, mentions in the Sunday Times, Gardens Illustrated, an article in the local The Hedge.
 
Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped with car parking and washing those endless cups on week-ends.
We miss the sense of purpose that took over Newport House, but we do also enjoy the peace that followed the show, until next time.
Brontë Woodruff and I look forward to welcoming you for the next one in autumn 2017!

Warm wishes.
jenny Watt
 
 

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