As part of the Common Lands programme, Arts&Heritage developed an artist commission for Bartonsham Meadows, through an innovative partnership with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust (HWT).

This first commission responded to an ambitious ecological programme through which HWT plan to restore part of the site, which is regularly inundated by the River Wye, to be species-rich floodplain meadows. The Meadows lie within the meander of the River Wye, to the south east of the city of Hereford. In Spring 2023, HWT took on the management of the site and plan to regenerate the Meadows to support a greater diversity of wildlife and an accessible wildlife reserve for local people.

Rebecca Beinart was selected as the first artist to work with Arts&Heritage, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and local communities to develop artwork for the site. The commission responded to the history of Bartonsham Meadows and was inspired by the multi-decade vision for the regeneration of the site. Rebecca worked with community groups to collectively learn from and respond to the Meadows rich history and changing ecology, and the process of regeneration. Through creative workshops she explored themes including land ownership and access, stewardship, folklore, multi-species relationships, flooding, and seasonal change. The creative process linked closely with the WT’s approach to managing and monitoring this first year of gradual transformation.

The first part of the project built relationships with existing and new communities around the Meadows, using creative approaches to find affinities with species and stories reflecting the histories and future of the site. This was followed by a design process to develop a series of visual designs, sensory experiences and useable artworks, culminating in a seasonal Midsummer gathering to mark and celebrate the changes to the flood meadows as they are restored. For this, Rebecca and the participants groups created a mini festival on the meadows.  It included a gathering space marked by 3m flags dyed with plants from the land and seating made through community workshops. The event ended with a reading of stories gathered through the project and offerings to the river – documenting the multi-layered relationship communities have with this landscape.

This collaborative approach invited multiple communities to engage with the Meadows, and mirrored the ecological process of re-wilding: trusting in the process, making space for diversity, and allowing for the unexpected.

With huge thanks to everyone at: Rose Tinted Rags, Close House Hereford, Hereford College of Arts and the Fine Art Department, the Floodplain Meadows Partnership, Meadow Arts, Jess Bugler, Sophie Ferrier, Gina’s Cantina and all who made this such a spcial project.

The Common Lands commission is a partnership with @herefordshirewildlifetrust – responding to HWT’s restoration of Bartonsham Meadows to healthy, wildlife-rich floodplain meadows. The art project is being kindly supported by Hereford College of Arts and funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Elmley Foundation and Hereford City Council. HWT’s restoration of Bartonsham Meadows is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.