Cultivate 2021

The Courtyard is pleased to announce the four emerging artists selected to work on the Cultivate 2021 visual arts project.

The four Cultivate Artists will be mentored by professional artist Maria Morgan. They will work towards producing an exhibition at The Courtyard and Old Mayor’s Parlour Gallery in the Summer of 2021. The artist it is felt has best met the brief will be given a £1000 grant on the day of the exhibition.

Meet the Cultivate 2021 Artists

Matthew Harris, Sophie Campbell, Megan Thimm and Rowan Bretherton all live and are studying in the local area and their disciplines range from ceramics and textiles to metal work, woodwork and painting.

Sophie Campbell 
I am 19 years old and currently I’m doing the Foundation Diploma at Hereford College of Arts, the first time that I have ever studied art! However, I have always loved textiles- starting by spray painting t-shirts and clothes when I was 12. But, whilst doing my Foundation Diploma I discovered a love for ceramics and am now completely enamoured. I like to explore contemporary issues using words and imagery just like my two main inspirations Philip Eglin and Grayson Perry, and how imagery changes on a 3D setting aka a pot! I am inspired by everything I encounter, from flaking paint on an old wall to brand logos. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have this opportunity; being mentored by a successful artist and the chance to invest in (highly) expensive ceramic equipment. I hope that I can continue my practice as a ceramic ‘artist’ alongside academic studies in the future.

Matthew Harris
My name is Matthew Harris, I am 17 years old and currently studying engineering at Hereford and Ludlow college. I wouldn’t class myself as a traditional artist. I am much more at home making and creating rather than painting and drawing. I enjoy the process of idea, design through to form and working with materials to create a three dimensional art piece. I’ve produced art from a variety of materials, including paper, card, metal and wood. I particularly love intricate and detail within a design.

I am really pleased to have to have been selected to take part in Cultivate 2021, as it will give me the opportunity to develop my ideas, and with help from a mentor, make me more focused on technique and individual style. It will also give me the chance to experiment and try new techniques as well as the opportunity to incorporate my engineering within my work through the use of lighting which will create an effective angle on my final pieces when displayed in the exhibition.

Megan Thimm
My work explores our place in various ecosystems – capitalism, society and within the literal natural ecosystem. This point in time is a golden opportunity to re-evaluate and question our relationship within all of these contexts.
I want to take a microscope to our lives internally and look at these within the wider external context too.

Visit Megan’s Website and Instagram.

Rowan Bretherton
I’m currently a student at Hereford Sixth Form and enjoy creating art in my spare time. My work mostly includes painting, drawing and textiles, although I’m looking forward to exploring different techniques and media. Nature is a huge source of inspiration for me, as it brings together so much colour, light, and darkness without even trying. It’s also so intriguing, as there is so much wildlife that I haven’t experimented with. Personally, I am constantly amazed at what emerges when I allow the creativity of the left side of my brain take over. I’m really looking forward to working within the Cultivate project as I hope it will give me more confidence to develop my own original ideas and try out new skills. I’m excited to collaborate with Maria and the other artists to see what we come up with for the exhibition.

We are excited to be planning a physical exhibition of the Cultivate 2021 artists work this, watch this space!