SMAC Studio Garden Startup

Hi there

My name is Jo Dyer , an artist based in Newcastle, NSW and I'm fundraising to start a studio garden at SMAC Space Studio, an artist-run gallery and multi-studio space in the suburb of Tighes Hill.

My creative practice is interdisciplinary, incorporating art made in response to plants, including paintings, drawings and installations, as well as working directly with plants and making with others, such as sketching, painting and gardening. I am also a full-time student, currently undertaking a Master of Fine Art at RMIT.

I started a very modest garden bed a month or so ago outside the studio space that I rent at SMAC but unfortunately this week a tree fell on top of it during the bad weather we’ve had. This will soon be removed and I’ll start over but I have limited resources to establish this project and am hoping to raise some funds to get the garden up and running in time for spring.

The aim of the proposed garden is that it will be able to be utilised and enjoyed by visitors & volunteers of SMAC, as well as by the local community (the site faces the street, so passers-by will be able to enjoy the garden too). It will also provide the means to grow plants that can be utilised as prompts for artmaking and social / community engagement. This will include participatory events held both on-site and elsewhere. For example, I am currently arranging to do an artist residency in a healthcare setting later this year and am hoping to grow some flowers in time to utilise them in a participatory project during this residency.

I aim to raise $2,000 which will be put towards installing the garden beds, extra soil, mulch, plants and seeds, as well as some garden utensils if required.

The plant selection will be a mixture of perennials and seasonal plants with stimulating colours, textures and fragrances to attract people and pollinators alike. This will also include native and drought-tolerant plants and potentially some dye plants to experiment with extracting natural pigment . It won’t be an edible garden, as the site is an industrial estate and the soil quality unknown. Aesthetically, this small garden will be inspired by the naturalistic style of the New Perennial Movement founded by garden designer Piet Oudolf and the stunning garden photography of Claire Takacs.

Should you choose to donate, I will be happy to discount the amount donated from any original artwork I have available via my website until 30th June 2023 (please contact me directly to view what is available).

Alternatively, if you would like to support this project in some other way or get involved, please get in touch, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for your support

Jo