Bernheim is excited to announce that we have received a Regional Imagine Greater Louisville (IGL) 2020 grant for our project, Seeds of CONNECTion! This round of IGL 2020 grants were established to take place in regional counties of the Greater Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area including Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble; and in Indiana: Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Scott, Washington.
This generous grant enables Bernheim to commission United Kingdom artist, Ashley Peevor for our 10th annual CONNECT at Bernheim, celebrating arts, science and nature, around Lake Nevin August 18th. Peevor will educate and engage Greater Louisville with the creation of his living costumes, fondly referred to as Grass men. Part-sculpture and part-performance, Grass men is a body of work that involves carefully crafted living costumes made from grass, flowers, and other flora.
As a way to promote engagement with the CONNECT event, Peevor will establish residence at Bernheim and conduct a series of workshops in which participants will learn about the cultivation of living sculpture through seed growing. Upcoming workshops will enable participants to create their own wearable plant flair, opening their eyes to the unique potential for combining living art with nature specific to this region. These learning experiences will culminate in a collective performance of artist and workshop participants during the CONNECT event. Through an embrace of the absurd and a hint of mysticism, the CONNECT audience also becomes part of the spectacle of the Grass men.
Seeds of CONNECTion not only fulfills Bernheim’s mission of Connecting People to Nature, but also provides the experience of connecting people to one other through the lens of art. In addition, this project will allow Bernheim the opportunity to explore potential options for future reductions in transportation barriers for residents of urban communities where nature is not always accessible.
Seeds of CONNECTion is made possible by the Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund at the Fund for the Arts in partnership with the Fund for the Arts.