Chapter 3: New Horizons
Forestry Commission was renamed Forestry England on 1st April 2019
Overview
In 2004 The Forestry Commission took over the sculpture trail after five years of Grizedale Arts running it. Suddenly left with a vastly different experience in 2004 to 1999 when artists in residence were still being invited into the forest to make site specific art. The Theatre and Gallery were closed and only a couple of artworks created in the last three years were still able to be part of the Sculpture Trail.
“The (Grizedale) Society and the Forestry Commission collaborated to help visual arts grow. The Grizedale Society became Grizedale Arts in 1999 and The Forestry Commission continued to work with them for a while until their interests diverged. Art is part of our USP. People come to see it and we maintain a programme of renewing it.” Dave Lowe, 2018
Rebuilding:
It took a long time to bounce back from the experimental art phase of 1999-2003, largely due to all the funds for the trail being syphoned off by Grizedale Arts, leaving nothing for the FC to work with.
They did start bringing better art into the forest again but extremely slowly, with years sometimes between artworks. Over the next decade 19 artworks were added to the trail in a vast contrast to 1991, when, with funding from the Prudential award, 20 sculptures were added in 1 year.
Around this time entire visitor centre has also had a huge investment and a £6m redevelopment called ‘The Grizedale Project’. This added a new Gallery space and a secondary exhibition area. The Yan was also built which works as a classroom and the Grizedale Society archive has been given a space to be housed in.
(According to Edwina Fitzpatrick’s Archive) Hayley Skipper became curator in 2008. Hayley was influential in creating Arts Roots, a new commissioning project designed to reinvigorate Grizedale’s Sculpture Trail.
Art Roots Programme
2012 – 2016
Critical Network Website – “Art Roots Grizedale is a major commissioning programme designed to reinvigorate Grizedale as a centre of international excellence for art in the landscape. The Forestry Commission at Grizedale will commission artists to create a series of permanent, high impact artworks” “providing opportunities for leading and emerging artists to deliver excellence in public art in a forest environment. Delivery of these works will re-establish Grizedale Forest as a centre of international excellence for art and sculpture in the environment.” – Grizedale Website
“‘Art Roots Grizedale‘ refers to the site specific nature or ‘rootedness’ of the sculptures in the environment in Grizedale Forest and builds on the tradition of this innovative approach. The name also refers to cultural heritage… being the first programme of its kind and thereby its role as the ‘roots’ of contemporary public art in the UK.“
Reasons for being
“250,000 people visit Grizedale each year, and a third (83,000 people) experience or participate in the art.” – Art of Festivals 2013 “In the Grizedale Visitor Centre the most frequently asked questions relate to the artworks.” – Arts Roots Plan
“The sculptures in the forest environment have an established audience and an excellent track record for attracting new audiences.” “Art Roots Grizedale builds on Grizedale’s established reputation for art in the environment built up over the last three decades” and aims to “ensure Grizedale’s appeal as a Visitor Attraction for the next decades and enhancing its reputation (as a destination for art) for future generations.”
If the programme was ignored and instead it was decided to “Do nothing – Grizedale will remain an appealing attraction for some sections of its existing audience but over the next five years (with the natural decay to many of the existing works) its unique selling point as a destination for art will be consigned to history.“
Archive Investment
“Over the next three years, (parallel to investment in the sculpture trail) the collection and art archive will benefit from improved understanding and interpretation… through a Collaborative PHD Stundentship with Glasgow School of Art.” This was undertaken by Edwina Fitzpatrick who spent time working through the archive at Grizedale and adding to it, to be able to produce a chronological list of sculptures since 1977 (where possible, some information is completely lost and so not in the list). This was then displayed in The Yan, where I photographed it and was able to start compiling this site. I can confirm that this work did as intended to “improve public interpretation and access to these assets”.
“Grizedale has significant experience as a custodian of the existing art archive and forest based collection of works dating from 1977. All commissioned works, both trail and artworks, will be incorporated into the Forestry Commission’s long term management plans“
New Commission Plans
At the time, it was advertised that “Forestry Commission are looking to commission 5 emerging artists to develop new work for the start of the Ridding Wood Trail. The successful artists will work along side a Lead Artist who will be commissioned to develop a suitable design for the overall form of the Ridding Wood Trail. Developed proposals will also form part of an exhibition which will publicly present the artists development and final designs.” – Critical Network Website.
Three areas in the forest were designated as areas to be invested in as part of this programme. The Ridding Wood Trail which needed rejuvenating. “A specialist sound artist or team will be commissioned to develop the central section of the trail and a major new sound work.” This came in the form of the Clockwork Forest.
Investment in the Millwood Trail would allow for an accessible sculpture trail. Over recent years it has had a few new sculptures on it, mostly around the visitor centre rather than in the wood itself.
The third area was to make cyclists more involved with the arts “Developing the cross over audience by engaging the off road cyclists with a large scale cyclable sculpture.” (From my experience this was never going to work). This large site specific artwork was due to be in the north of the forest. High Fell House was the proposal though this never happened.
A change in style
The brilliant thing about Grizedale initially was how artists would stay locally and build the sculptures on site out of the local materials, stone, wood, etc. However due to the huge hole in the trail left by Grizedale Arts and the sudden realisation that within 5 years the trail could be lost. Art Roots needed to fill this hole quickly and in a way that allows the sculptures to be cost effective, by lasting as long as possible.
Key to the project in contrast to earlier works is the “sustainability and durability of the materials used for the commissioned trail works and artworks. Where appropriate the materials and methods used will be designed to be extremely hard wearing and long lasting; (such as) bronze, steal and landform. These will be intentionally very long lasting in the outdoor environment providing features in the landscape for a long time.“
Forest Art Works
2016 – 2020
“Forest Art Works supports achieving Great Art and Culture for Everyone in England’s Public Forests.” – Hayley Skipper. This is a subsequent “partnership between Arts Council England and Forestry Commission England. The new partnership from 2016-2020 builds on the success of an initial Memorandum of Understanding (Art Roots Grizedale) between the two organisations in 2012.” – Grizedale Website
This is a continuation of the work developed during the previous years.
Collaborations & Return to Old Ways
Art Roots was great in quickly bringing Sculptures back to the forest, though the remit of having things that last (and a short timeframe before the trail was lost forever) introduced artworks that had no connection to the forest, Romeo, Boat Race, Concrete Country were all created or inspired by London.
A change has begun in that Grizedale has collaborated with local artists and local festivals and events to bring in new art. Signs of Adventure was originally commissioned by Cumbria Tourist board, and Ruup was created in conjunction with Lakes Alive Festival.
More recently Hazel Stone has been appointed as the Arts Development Manager for the North of England and has embraced the traditions of Grizedale while bringing it up to date. We have seen local artists like Charlie Whinney and Rob and Harriet Fraser, using wood and stone from Grizedale to create unique sculptures during this time.
The artist in residence scheme, has returned in 2019 thanks to the Brian Mercer Trust and the Royal Society of Sculptors, this will continue to be an annual event. There has also been a revisit to old artists, Sally Matthews and David Nash have both returned with exhibitions recently.
The last few years there has been a clear change in the wind and an acknowledgment of what Grizedale should be about, by returning to its roots. This change has been noted by the public, it feels for the first time in a long time like a world class place for art again.
Arts Council & Forestry England Memorandum of Understanding 2021
On 8th October 2021 the Arts Council & Forestry England “embarked on a revitalised partnership to bring ambitious contemporary artworks to forests across England” over the next 5 years. A Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties was signed at Grizedale.
“The primary objective of the Programme is to enable people to engage with the arts and culture in forests in England.” The purpose of the partnership is to “support the creation of ambitious new projects that brings together creative practice in forest locations across England. In connection with our respective strategies, presentation of work will connect with, but not be limited to, climate, biodiversity, rewilding, mental health and wellbeing. We will look to develop current and future audiences with consideration of these issues.”
This is a countrywide initiative so it is unknown how Grizedale will benefit from it. This line is interesting: “To offer arts organisations, artists and audiences opportunities to work with the distinctive sites, locations and histories of the nation’s forests”. Does this mean a return to making art in the forest again?
Unknown & Unofficial Sculptures
Artworks in the forest that I can’t place.
This Land is Your Land
Photograph taken by J.Harvey 2011
This is a wooden sign attached to a tree with the words “No CCTV for 10 Miles” carved into it. This was possibly part of an exhibition. I’ve seen a photograph of another sign saying “This Land Is Your Land”. This photograph was taken either on the Millwood Trail or Ridding Wood, we can’t remember where. I am not sure how long they lasted.
Photograph taken August 2022
As of August 2022 I saw another of these signs remains in Kennel car park saying ‘Beware of the flowers’. How I never noticed it over the last 10 years is a mystery!
Sheltered Cone
Photograph by Mike Kewley, 2014. Website Link Here.
This is a stone cairn which was sited in the main car park in 2014. (I’ve just given it the name Sheltered Cone). It resembles the work of Andy Goldsworthy, but clearly isn’t neat enough to be his work. The paint on the stones suggests to me that this was possibly created by a visiting artist with the help of a local school group, but I’m just speculating.
Mushroom cycle trail – family sculpture hunt
Around Moor Top are numerous painted carved wooden Mushrooms. These are markers for a child friendly cycle trail. Apparently there is a map you can get from the Visitor Centre which marks them all on. I don’t know when they were put into the forest though they have been there since at least 2007. I also don’t know how many there are in total. Though this is an official trail, it isn’t included as an official Sculpture so I will include it here.
Photographs Taken 2019
Photograph Taken by Michael Graham, 2007. Original Photograph Location Here.
Grizedale Forest Sculpture An Unofficial Archive 