Queer Ecology Weekend
We’re celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with a weekend of welcoming and inspiring workshops that explore the queerness and diversity of nature and wildlife woven into the fabric of our ecosystems. Come and experience an alternative perspective on biodiversity through a different lens, challenging traditional ideas of what is considered natural and unnatural.
Queer Botanical Drawing Workshop
Saturday 7 February, 1pm - 4pm
Artist and illustrator, Edward Luke Thrush (he/him) will be hosting this workshop to learn botanical drawing techniques inspired by the park’s plants and trees such as the Westfelton Yew and the Ginkgo.
You’ll start the day with a short-guided walk around the Rose Garden where you’ll explore how queerness and nature connect and see the plants and trees up close before using their cuttings from which you base your artwork. Suitable for all skill levels, Edward will guide you through the process to creating your artwork with tips and techniques to creating realistic textures and highlights.
All materials will be provided, along with a booklet of tips and inspiration to take home. Booking essential. £35 standard £25 concession* (limited availability)
About Edward Luke Thrush
This session will be hosted by Edward Luke Thrush (he/him), a designer, illustrator and artist based between Birmingham and London, UK. For his personal work Edward incorporates botanical imagery in his drawings, prints and paintings, using knotted brambles and flora interlaced with litter and other elements of human interaction. His work aims to explore the boundaries of urban and natural spaces whilst evoking issues of discovery, trespass and belonging through the queer perspective.
Queer Ecology Talk and Guided Walk
Sunday 8 February
Join nature educator Abi to learn about queerness in nature and in the park’s flora with a lecture followed by a guided nature walk around the park. What Abi doesn’t know isn’t worth telling and in their introductory talk, their infectious enthusiasm for nature and all its queerness will get you excited to begin exploring. After the talk, you’ll walk slowly through the park to hidden areas paying attention to what’s beneath logs and other overlooked corners of the parkland in search of queer specimens.
Spaces are limited, so early booking is recommended. £10 standard £7 concession* (limited availability)
Abi Young (they/them) is an Environmental Educator with a passion for engaging people in the natural world and inspiring them to protect it. Their work brings queer ecology, increasing inclusion and access to nature, as well as inspiring climate action through outdoor learning. Follow here on Instagram: @forestcowboy
You might also be interested in
Eating and shopping at Morden Hall Park
Enjoy freshly prepared tasty snacks and cakes at a choice of two cafés and pick up the perfect read at the second-hand bookshop, all supporting the National Trust’s work.
Things to do at Morden Hall Park
From river and wetland walks, to remnants of the park's history and an adventure playground for the little ones, see how the park changes along with the seasons.
The Garden Centre at Morden Hall Park
Shop for plants, seeds, pots, gardening equipment, toys and games, gifts and homewares at the National Trust’s first garden centre, with all profits supporting our work.
Our work at Morden Hall Park
Learn about how we‘ve preserved traditional methods of looking after the land and the wildlife that lives there, and find out how you can get involved.
