Collaboration with Artists

We value and nurture our relationships with artists. With each project we explore ways to support artist development and at the same time find ways to collaborate with a variety of communities

Nabil Ali


We started working with Nabil in 2013. From 2013-14 he developed 2 projects in Dunmow.

'Seeing Beyond The Object' saw the creation of  an experimental collection of paintings using egg-tempera techniques with stinging nettles and egg shells. The aim of  'Portrait of an Artist’s Garden' was to create a collection of new artwork, using art materials developed from a recently translated mediaeval art recipe book entitled the Montpellier Liber diversarum arcium  – also known just as the LDA. The activities explored the collective creative processes often said to characterise Medieval art and its communal use, in contrast to later post-Renaissance ideas of the individual artist and the unique self-sufficient art work.


In 2013 Nabil processed nettles & other plants from St. Mary’s Riverbank to make paints, pastels & inks. These featured in our Big Draw Award winning “Plant Some Ideas” programme.


In 2020 Nabil took inspiration from the Green Man stone carving on St. Mary’s Church and created this atmospheric “Leaf People” for St. Mary’s Riverbank Walk as part of the Dunmow Big Draw Art Trail. 


http://nabil-ali.wixsite.com/artist

Read more about The Leaf People

Kiran Chahal

The Invitation to Play projects are our latest collaboration with Kiran Chahal. Our first project was back in 2005 - Drawing on Memories. Kiran has many years of experience in creating Public Art within Community, Healthcare and Educational settings, and she relishes the challenge of working in delicate/sensitive situations, (whether it's an issue or an environment), and seeing the positive outcomes that her artwork produces. Within all her projects she looks for as much user involvement as possible, as she believes the experience has instant rewards including pride, empowerment, a sense of ownership of the project. In her workshops, her aim is to induce creative thinking through: word games, text, poetry, and simple, sometimes unorthodox, visual methods that produce beautiful artwork along the way . She set up th Made Up Collective and Made Up Kitchen & now doing amazing work with Rise.365
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Tom Downing

Tom was one of our lead artists with the Invitation to Play programme. He created a conceptual model - an imaginary hybrid of all 9 libraries in Harlow and Uttlesford.  It also features artwork created by children as part of last autumn's Big Draw Family Days that took place in 4 of the libraries. 
Tom's  work explores large scale construction, site specific intervention, sculpture, sound, performance and video. He has worked extensively with CAD CAM technologies including laser cutting, 3D printing and 3D machining and 3D scanning.  He is currently working as associate designer & construction lead and is consulting on concept development, design and constructional realisation of immersive sculptural environments for live events involving video projection mapping.
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Anne Schwegmann-Fielding

We have been developing projects with Anne since 2002. Most recently they worked on the Community Star Gazer Oven and Great Plastic Bottle Green House.

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Paul Taylor

Over a course a year (Oct 16 –Oct 17) Paul Taylor made a series of visits to Dunmow to gather personal stories and opinions on the how the town has changed from the people he met on his visits. The project resulted in an exhibition and book.
Dunmow Changes Film Read more

Jevan Watkins Jones

Jevan Watkins-Jones was an Associate Artist at Firstsite, Colchester & Artist in Residence at the personnel recovery centre at Colchester Garrison. He is an Allumnus of the Royal Drawing School.  He has been a
committed figure in art education over the last 25 years. He is also a gardener. Much of his artistic practice stems from a long-term working relationship with a number of gardens. He was  Artist in Residence at Art Exchange, University of Essex, where he worked alongside plant physiologists towards solo show Occupied by Plants. To read an article about his Case Study Ground Things go to

Jevan states, ‘I wish to create artistic experiences that engage and affect others deeply on subjects that matter.

Jevan first worked with us in 2013 as part of the "Plant Some Ideas" Drawing In Dunmow Big Draw programme. Ideas where then discussed and evolved (and funding secured from Essex County Council & Arts Council England) for Jevan to be in residence in Dunmow from October 2015 to February 2016 to work on the Alternative Yellow Book.

Jevan met with many older residents in Dunmow and its neighbouring villages. He also ran a series of workshops in the Library; at Redbond Lodge  Care Home;  the Dunmow Gardening Club for people living with dementia’  and St. Mary’s Church & Riverbank.  The project explored personal stories and our memories of favourite plants and gardens.

Alternative Yellow Book takes its name from The National Garden Scheme's synonymous Yellow Book as well as the British quarterly literary periodical that was published in London from 1894 to 1897 of which Aubrey Beardsley was its first art editor. A special film created with Aura Films is available on DVD. Click here to view via YouTube.



Alternative Yellow Book