Project update- Richard Vaughan the Head of Environment at Herefordshire Council, leading the Sustainability & Climate Change team has asked to be involved supporting, disseminating and legacy building the project as has Sarah Lardner, Engagement Officer Sustainability Team at Solihull Council.
The fundamental ideas and questions of the Seeded Wing is how do we develop a compassionate response to climate change through the uplifting creative health effect of nature connectivity. The Seeded Wing links creative health, with social and environmental justice, so that a nature placed creative health co-production with marginalized groups of young people, becomes a form of positive action.
We have 6 commissioned Seeded Wing visual artists, who are specialists in working with young people and creating high quality artworks in response to nature connectivity and the earth crisis:
Dr Payen is the co-founder and lead artist of Salt Road, a visual arts project organization established in 2005. Through this collective, she collaborates with scientists, ecologists, and marginalized communities to translate pressing environmental issues—such as climate change, glacier melting, and mycelial networks—into fine art. Her paintings areheld in highly prestigious public collections, including the UK Government Art Collection, the Towner Collection, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, and the Royal College of Art. Through this collective, she collaborates with scientists, ecologists, and marginalized communities to translate pressing environmental issues—such as climate change, glacier melting, and mycelial networks—into fine art.
Jaime Jackson, is a prominent English collaborative, visual, digital, biophilic and socially engaged artist. He is widely recognised as the co-founder of Salt Road, an artist-led project organisation established in 2005 alongside Dr. Sally Payen. Also a director of Culture Declares Emergency Jaime’s interdisciplinary practice explicitly bridges the gap between contemporary art, communities, and climate science to help young people connect with nature during the ongoing ecological crisis. His collaborative, nature-based practice uses drawing, painting, and digital technologies—such as Machine Learning AI, motion capture, and augmented reality—to address the climate and ecological crisis. His work is deeply rooted in the child-centric philosophy that humans are an interconnected part of nature.
Pearl Colette, is an early stage career mentored artist. Pearl Colette is a writer, researcher, and multidisciplinary artist. She serves as the Co-Director of Art Writing for Salt Road CIC, where she is currently an early-career mentored artist. Her creative practice bridges material culture, devotional practice, and landscape. Her practice encompasses field-based writing and research projects designed to understand the intersection of aesthetics, meaning, and our natural environment
Hereford College of Art, early stage career mentored artist (to be selected). As part of our commitment to supporting the development of recently graduated and early stage career artists. This commission will enable the artist to work with the lead artists/make new artwork in response to the brief and learn about socially engaged environmentally responsible creative health practice within a context of nature connectivity.
Stephen Whitehead, socially engaged relational environmental artist. Stephen Whitehead is a socially engaged/relational artist. His practice grows empathy with nature; developing environmental literacy and agency with concrete actions and a sense of community in that action. With over 20 years of experience in relational practice and co-production with children ad young people, his work bridges contemporary art with environmental advocacy. He aims to build empathy with nature, cultivate environmental literacy, and spark collective community action in response to climate change.
Deborah Curtis, socially engaged climate change artist. Artist director of The Great Imagining. Deborah Curtis is the Creative and Artistic Director of The Great Imagining. A youth-led artist charity, and collaborative project that brings together hundreds of artists, scientists, and engineers to host interactive, immersive learning adventures. Programs have been deployed across 60 schools. Alongside artist Gavin Turk, she also co-founded The House of Fairy Tales, a children’s arts charity. Deborah’s work seamlessly merges art, ecology, and education, empowering young people to shape a greener, fairer world.
Policies and Strategic linkages:
The recent UK Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Transformative Change assessment highlighted the need for positive visions of a better future for nature and people to inspire transformative change – shifting views, structures, and practices to address the underlying causes of the environmental crisis.
This project supports the following regional reports, strategies and policies in relation to health and well-being, community impact, behavior change, facilities and activities in green spaces:
UK government sustaining success in parks guidance: Parks and green spaces play a vital role in our society, from providing benefits for health and wellbeing to facilitating space for communities to interact, make new connections and share ideas and culture.’
UK Government 25 year Environment Plan policies relating to connecting people with nature for wellbeing, urban nature and nature’s beauty. The government’s core strategy commits to ensuring everyone has access to green space within 15 minutes of their home. It specifically prioritizes connecting children with nature for their mental and physical well-being
Our project supports the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Environment Behavior Change Plan
Birmingham’s City of Nature Plan | Birmingham’s City of Nature plan | Birmingham City Council Over the 25-year City of Nature delivery plan, The Council aims to increase publicly accessible greenspaces from 600 to 1,000 green spaces. The City of Nature Plan will change the way Birmingham treats its natural environment and how it thinks about the future of its parks and green spaces. It will involve the whole council and its core third sector partners though a City of Nature Alliance; whilst reaching out to the
citizens of Birmingham to facilitate significantly more involvement.
Birmingham Children’s Trust Delivered in conjunction with local councils and environmental groups, the Trust incorporates nature directly into social support systems
WMCA’s Nature Recovery Strategy Developed to protect and enhance nature, this regional framework specifically outlines actions to open up more urban green spaces, improve iconic waterways and canals, and boost biodiversity for residents across the West Midlands. WMCA’s Natural Environment Plan: Spanning 2021-2026, this plan centres on widening access to green and blue spaces (such as rivers and canals) by focusing primarily on communities with the greatest deficit in local access.
West Midlands National Park: A visionary project supported by the WMCA that transforms the region’s network of green and blue infrastructure into a continuous, accessible landscape. It integrates community spaces, tree planting, culture and leisure routes to ensure residents have high-quality nature on their doorsteps.
The WMCA’s Environment Behaviour Change Plan focusing on the four areas of the environment programme, which works alongside WMCA’s net
zero agenda, to create a better environment and tackle climate change.
Each programme theme has its own strategy or plan that provides the
evidence to inform WMCA’s priorities for delivery.
The new Herefordshire Cultural strategy created by the Herefordshire Cultural Partnership and Herefordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy Children and Young People: Listening to children and young people and connecting them to culture and creativity. Supporting health and
cultural services toallow nature to provide people with opportunities
for education and recreation to benefit their mental and physical well being.
Walsall Council’s Net Zero Strategy This strategy builds on the climate change pledges in the Council’s recently approved We Are Walsall 2040 Borough Plan, which commits the council to work in partnership with businesses, communities, and public bodies to deliver their climate change ambitions and ensure Walsall will be a clean, accessible and green borough fit for future generations.
And Sandwell Council’s Green Spaces Strategy For Green areas to be designed primarily for play and social interaction involving children and young people.