‘My Chase and Chalke’
Jo Beal’s residency was called ‘My Chase and Chalke’ and it focused on both Jo’s personal experiences of Cranborne Chase, as well as that of participants who took part in the residency workshops.
Experiences of Cranborne Chase were reflected on and captured using accessible, creative and drawing-based activities.
My Chase and Chalke was borne out of Jo’s creative and reflective drawing practice, and the residency enabled groups and individuals to engage with the area’s landscape and archaeology through various walking and visiting activities. These included walking over grassland, through woodlands, alongside the River Ebble, and visiting museums and sites of special interest across the Chase & Chalke landscape area.
Jo’s role within the residency was to help raise awareness of the Chase & Chalke area and increase understanding of its biodiversity, and its ancient, historical landscape and physical landscape.
Jo ran a series of targeted workshops, and her approach was for them to be accessible, engaging, creative, educational and fun. They built confidence in participants’ drawing skills and open up new ways to explore and record the Chase & Chalke area.
As part of the workshops, participants made sketchbooks and journals, as well as making and using their own mark-making tools from found materials.
As part of the residency, Jo created new work of her own for exhibition. The new work was informed by both the walks and learnings during community workshops, as well as by her own exploration of the landscape.
Jo documented her journey through the My Chase and Chalke residency on her website.
