April is finally here — the proverbial cruelest month: because the summer’s warm breezes are, by turns, so close … &, on days like today, so far away! With the turn of months, we are thrilled to welcome a new crop of Terradise Environmental Arts Residency artists-in-residence, a new artist-led public event, & the return of a perennial Terradise favorite. Read on for our news!
Now that April is officially upon us, we’re excited to welcome two dynamic new artists for our Terradise Environmental Arts Residency: creative writer & memoirist Deborah Jessie joins us from here in Marion County; & painter, musician, writer, & ambient sound recordist Chris Gherman — originally from Marion — joins us from neighboring Delaware County.
Made possible by the generous support of a Community Project Grant from the Arts Resiliency Initiative of the Ohio Arts Council, the Terradise Environmental Arts Residency brings talented North-Central Ohio artists from, living in, or working in Marion & Morrow Counties to Terradise Nature Center for a month, to create artwork inspired by our property, our flora & fauna, & the history, legacy, & mission of Terradise & its founders: poet Ray Romine & writer, photographer, filmmaker & conservationist Trella Romine. We are so stoked for Chris & Deborah to explore our property & build their decidedly environmentally-inflected arts practices with us at such a special time of year!
This year we will also be holding the annual Terradise Open Garden in conjunction with the Artist Residency. The Open Garden at Terradise has been a perennial tradition, started by Trella Romine when she first began calling Terradise home in the 1950’s. We continue to celebrate the return of the flora and fauna with this special event. We will be partnering with Gale Martin of Natives in Harmony to sell flats of native plants to benefit both organizations.