Homegrown -The Art of Gardening Sustainably

An Exhibition to spread the word about sustainable gardening  in our community and raise funds for SGA (Sustainable Gardening Australia)

5th February  to 14 March 2010

Bolin Bolin Gallery at Bulleen Art  & Garden
6 Manningham Rd W., Bulleen. 98505155.
www.baag.com.au
 


SGA (Sustainable Gardening Australia) is a not-for-profit, non-government funded organisation whose mission is to promote the benefits of sustainable horticulture. (For more information about this ground breaking organisation and gardening sustainably see below, and go to www.sgaonline.org.au).

Please note that the one third commission of all sales will be donated to SGA (witrh the remainder going to the artist)

Visitors are also encouraged to make a financial contribution to SGA. For more information, click here.

 Artworks

Cabbage by Meredith Plain, Carrots by rebecca Donals, "Tigerella" painting by C hris Scott

We  have contributing artists   who are also passionate about living sustainably . They are  keen to exhibit works in  various media  which respond to the idea of gardening sustainably, particularly growing our own food.   The artwork ranges from vibrant colourful paintings of cabbages  to ceramic cabbages, to sculptures of flowers made from recycled meta or clay, to intricate botanical illustrations , to paintings of the artists' own veggie patches .. .  

Artists were asked to respond to the concept of sustainable gardening, particularly growing our own food.

Artists include well known artists from Creek House stuidios in the bush in the Bend of Isles, Ona Henderson  & Syd Tunn. We will also feature work by Prue Clark, Robyn Carter, Adriana Christianson, Rebecca Donald,Ann-Maree Gentile, Lee Goller,  Nicola Hoyle,  Alison Hickey, Kirsty manger, Meredith Plain,Jodie Maree Phelan,Giuseppe Raneri, Chris Scott, Wendy Steer, John Wakefield.

We were keen to focus on growing our own food at home, because is environmentally sustainable
    No Food miles
    Less water use than commercially grown vegetables
    Less use of chemicals of all types
    Use of Compost & mulch to Recycle waste, improve soil, conserve water.
    As well all the other social, financial and health benefits of growing our food, resulting in healthy people and communities

But other issues relating to sustainable gardening  such as: Habitat for local fauna; Indigenous plants and control of invasive plants; Water efficiency ,Natural pest control, Recycling, reducing, re-using, Etc, Etc may be covered.

Gardeb Godesses by Ann-Maree Gentile. Paintings by Chris Scott & Alisson Hickey and baskets by Jeanette Carter.

 Cabbage Paintings by Wendy Steer, Ceramic cabbages by Meredith Plain & ceramic flowers by Robyn Carter.

Paint can lids by Jodie Nunn & Sculpture by Nicola Hoyle

Exhibition Opening

4th february, 6 to 8 pm

The exhibition was opened by Deborah Halpern, one of Melbourne's best known & respected sculptors. Deborah encouraged us all in our creative endeavours.

Jane Edmanson,  author, garden identity and  presenter on TV  &  radio and SGA patrontalked about the benefits of gardening sustainably and of the need to support SGA.

Also, Mary Trigger (pictured) explained some of the projectrs SGA is undertaking.

Meredith Plain,  of the Bulleen Art & Garden Gallery,  SGA volunteer, artist & keen vegie gardener talked about why we had an exhibition of sustainable garden art at Bulleen Art & Garden, abnd the artists taking part.

This was a fantastic evening with over 150 present to enjoy the speakers, the art & the company of other like minded syustainable gardeners and art lovers.

We also had music at the opening. The formalities were introduced by Prue Clark, one of our artists, singing a couple of her  her children's gardening songs. CDs are available as aprt of the exhibition.. www.pruesmusic.com

We were also treated to the music of string duet by musicians & SGA volunteers Claire and her brother James

SGA volunteers were there to help, including Judy, Tracey and Gianni

Also, Guiseppe Raneri, artist & BAG staff, and Paul McMorran, BAG CEO.   Artists, Nicola Hoyle, Meredith Plain & Ann-Maree Gentile. 

Sustainable Gardening Australia

 SGA does  fantastic work  helping us  be  sustainable in our back yards .

They are encouraging us to :

• Grow our own food;
• create habitat for local fauna;
• grow indigenous plants and control of invasive plants;
• Compost & mulch – Recycle your waste, improve your soil, conserve your water; improve
• Water efficiency –tanks, mulch, rain gardens, grey-water use;
• use Natural pest control; Recycling, reducing, re-using; Etc, Etc  
• But, the big one now is the  new program of SGA PODS - or local  neighbourhood  garden groups, mainly focussed on helping each other grow our own food. for more information on PODs

We  hope to raise some funds to help them continue this  vital work . 
    For more information about this ground breaking organisation and gardening sustainably go to www.sgaonline.org.au

We have the opportunity tohelp SGA provide

• Visitors will be encouraged to support SGA with donations, becoming members and volunteering, as well as buying the artworks.
• Commission. The commission Bulleen Art & Garden usually takes for sales from exhibitions (approx 34%) will be donated to SGA, and artists. will also make a donation to SGA

Sustainable Living Festival

This is a Neighbourhood Event of the Sustainable Living Festival, supported by the City of Melbourne. http://www.slf.org.au/festival/ 

Sustainable Gardening Australia

www.sgaonline.org.au

SGA (Sustainable Gardening Australia) is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation whose mission is to promote the benefits of sustainable horticulture.

SGA is expanding our community based initiatives and have received an amazing response to our POD program which is allowing gardeners to take a positive and active approach to tackling climate change. At the moment we have about 20 PODs up and running and we'd like 100 by this time next year. It's our mission to connect people all over Australia not only in their local community but also through the larger SGA community.

All this and we're still advocating for independently set standards within the gardening industry to fight green wash.