[accessibleimage] 2 articles garden and gallery

Hi,
Two articles, one about a new sensory garden and one about a
open air sculpture gallery in England where the visitors are
encouraged to touch.
Text follows links.
Regards,
Lisa


garden
http://www.newsleader.com/news/stories/20040723/localnews/900602.html
gallery
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1267288,00.html

Sensory garden named for Brenda Papke
By Ruth Jones/staff

STAUNTON -- There was no denying the naming of a memorial
after the late Children's Art Network founder Brenda Papke
on Thursday night. 

City Council unanimously voted to have the proposed sensory
garden at the Staunton Public Library named after Papke, who
died of breast cancer last September. 

Holly Chichester, city horticulturist, and Oakley Pearson,
director of the Talking Book Center at the Staunton Public
Library, developed the idea for the handicapped-accessible
memorial sensory garden, full of vegetation that appeals to
the senses. 

Chichester plans to begin planting the garden in the spring.
"We'll focus on some herbs ... we're going to steer clear of
things like roses that are high maintenance," she said.
Chichester said the garden will be full of textured
vegetation for those who can see and strong scents for those
who are blind. 

"Brenda, if she had been here would have thought this is a
wonderful thing to do," said library director Ruth Arnold,
adding that it wouldn't be for selfish reasons, but for the
benefit of others. 

City Councilwomen Jean Donavan and Rita Wilson and City
Councilman Dickie Bell were not present for the vote. 


Tourist attraction carved from ruin 
A farm hit by foot and mouth becomes a sculpture park 
David Ward Friday July 23, 2004 The Guardian 

Foot and mouth disease came early to High Head Farm between
Penrith and Carlisle in Cumbria, with the first case
confirmed on March 13 2001. 
Before long 70 dairy cows, 300 breeding ewes and 50 beef
cattle were burning on funeral pyres. At that time Cumbrians
were already beginning to count the cost, especially to
tourism: one estimate suggested a likely loss of 1,000 jobs
and £150m in revenue.

Since then the region has made a miraculous recovery, with
tourists flocking back to the lakes and fells they love.

Farmers, meanwhile, had to consider their futures. Some
abandoned agriculture; many diversified with bed and
breakfast businesses or toyed with golf courses.

Jonathan Stamper, who with his wife Bernardette had farmed
67 hectares (166 acres) at High Head for 16 years, took some
time off. Mr Stamper is also an artist, so he chose to do
something he had dreamt of for years: create a sculpture
park to exhibit his own work and that of other local
artists.

It is now open, pulling in the visitors, who are perhaps
enticed as much by High Head's homemade soup, quiches and
cakes as the works of art in the valley with a pond, newly
planted trees, stone circle and occasional otter.

It is not as grand as the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near
Wakefield, and cannot boast a Henry Moore. But it has
distinctive tranquil mood.

"Foot and mouth was a devastating thing and a lot of farmers
believed their lives had been wrecked," said Mr Stamper
yesterday. "But we knew that, in a three-year cycle, all
those animals would have have gone for slaughter. Perhaps we
had a more realistic approach."

Mr Stamper's family had farmed for five generations in
Keswick, and it was at school there that he began working in
three dimensions because, he claimed, he was not much good
at drawing or painting.

He farmed with his parents, took on a milk round to
supple-ment his income, and carried on sculpting, mainly in
wood. Commissions began to roll in. "I'm still inspired by
organic natural forms," he said. "I just enjoy creating very
tactile, simplified shapes. It gives me a buzz when people
appreciate my work and want to buy it. I don't sculpt just
for my own interest - I do it because I hope people want my
pieces in their own homes."

The wood he uses is local: at the heart of his sculpture
valley stands his Harmony, two elegantly curving shapes in
elm. Nearby is an abstract piece carved from bog oak and now
decorated with a delicate spider's web.

Elsewhere are works by fellow members of Sculpture Seven,
whose work has been seen in northern shows. One, Sun Gate,
consists of three tall, twisted, canary-yellow shapes.
Almost all the work, including smaller pieces in the airy
gallery off the tea room, is for sale.

"I had always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to
open a gallery, but the economics of it never stacked up,"
said Mr Stamper. "But foot and mouth gave us time to
reassess our values. We thought, rather than me going away
to galleries and shows, it would be better if we could bring
people here to see my work."

This would also keep the family together: Mrs Stamper runs
the tea room, son Daniel looks after 150 cows, second son
Simon helped build the gallery, and daughter Eleanor also
lends a hand.

The sculpture valley has cost £90,000 (not too much spent on
expensive designs; most sketches remained in Mr Stamper's
own head), with about half coming in grants.

A blind man arrived in the tea room to explore with his
hands one of Stamper's abstract shapes, which has now become
the sculpture park's logo. Then he headed off towards the
valley.

"We've tried to keep it as natural as possible - that's what
people like," said Mr Stamper. "They seem really relaxed
when they come back up, even if they don't necessarily like
all the sculpture.

"Unlike some galleries, there is no one walking behind you
telling you not to touch. I want people to touch my work."

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