Julie Griffiths I Artivist

Julie Griffiths

Artivist Cultivator

Social Practitioner

About the artist

Julie Griffiths is an award winning artist, activist and cultivator who has delivered collaborative projects in Ireland and internationally for over 10 years. Her background is in textile design and she uses many tactile processes in her projects, as well as horticultural and ecological approaches. The key driver for her practice is concern for the environment, and how art can tilt peoples’ understanding and motivations in the challenging times that we are living through.

Julie has delivered projects formal and informal settings, diversity of participants and primary and secondary schools, institutions and seminars, galleries community centres, gardens town squares and parliamentary castles and kitchen tables.

in all kinds of settings, with a wide and groups: schools, academic galleries and gardens and beaches, parliamentary buildings,

Julie’s current project, snail[S]pace uses the motif of the snail as both metaphor and methodology, to discuss issues around place and residency, food supply and farming, slowness and environmental protection.

In 2021, Julie was selected as the first Donegal recipient of the Platform #31 Award. She is an awardee of the Arts Council of Ireland Arts Participation Bursary 2021, and Donegal Arts Office Bursary 2022.

Proposed TAP/BLAST Projects

• Multi-sensorial interactions with students, the community, the environment and the locality

• Drawing on knowledge from different fields (formal and informal, vernacular and intuitive, local and global, science and maths, heritage and cultures….)

• Potential for intergenerational and intercultural learning as well as community sharing

• Each project tailored to a school’s specific focus of interest

Methodologies

- Outdoor classroom

- Walking, and grounding

- Slowness and extending attention

- Listening and sound recording

- General hoking and poking outdoors

- Digging, burying, gathering and assembling

- Sketch booking, drawing and collaging

- Photography and video making

- Cooperation and collaboration

- Think global, act local Possible resting points

- Sketchbooks (physical/digital)

- Visual, audio and video diaries

- Drawings, collage, mosaic

- Paper making, natural fibres and dying

- Garden / outdoor signage

- Mural or maze design

- Composting and foraging

- Popup exhibition

- Talks, hosting and community sharing

Learning

- Soil science, composting and foraging

- Place, local history and heritage

- Heliculture and food supply chain

- Slowness and grounding

- Ecosystems, Ecoliteracy and Ecosophy

Example workshop layout

MEETING 1: CONSULTATION & PLANNING

MEETING 2: IDEAS PROPOSAL, MATERIALS DISCUSSION

WORKSHOP 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE OUTSIDE CLASSROOM

PERSPECTIVES & BIRDS EYE VIEW

SPATIAL AWARENESS

WORKSHOP 2: OUTSIDE CLASSROOM

TEXTURES & SNAILS EYE VIEW

MANIPULATING MATERIALS

WORKSHOP 3: OUTSIDE CLASSROOM

EARTH SLICES & WORMS EYE VIEW

SOIL & ECOLOGY

WORKSHOP 4: OUTSIDE CLASSROOM

ODES TO THE EARTH STEWARDSHIP

WORKSHOP 5: OUTSIDE CLASSROOM

PLANTING & PROTECTING

FUTURE PROOFING

WORKSHOP 6: OUTSIDE CLASSROOM

FRIEZE

RECALLING

WORKSHOP 7: OUTSIDE EXHIBITION

REFLECTION & CELEBRATION

REPORTING & DOCUMENTING

Some Previous Projects

With the Regional Cultural Centre and Donegal Creative Practitioners

Donegal Summer School of Music

Art Laboratory

TAP 2022

TEACHER ARTIST PARTNERSHIP

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM EARTH WHISPERINGS & ODES TO THE EARTH

WALKING & WEAVING

BLAST 2023

Arts in Education Residency

SCHOOL ROOTS/ROUTES

BLAST 2023

Arts in Education Residency

Evolution Mural

National school science and art project

Fold and Rise

Travelling bread making workshops