Title Garden Designer
Organisation Paradeisos ? Gardens for People (arts and gardens projects)
How long in post? Self-employed for 6 years
e: belladarcy@gardensforpeople.com
w: http://www.gardensforpeople.com
What does your organisation do?
Garden designs of all kinds, specialising in projects with community groups, especially disabled people and schools. These include active workshops culminating in design for building and gaining funding.
What does your job involve?
? Working with people to design gardens.
? Working with artists.
? Planning and organising projects. Leading workshops which include drama and art work towards a garden design. Planning garden projects with schools to include curriculum areas, e.g. surveying the site, drawing plans, researching themes and designing the garden.
? Advising organisations on writing applications, business plans, and public consultation. Advising on design, hard and soft landscaping, and horticulture.
? Teaching garden history and design.
Who did you used to work for?
? Youth Arts Manager, Essex County Council, heading a section to promote arts for young people in partnership with local authorities, schools, arts and other organisations.
? Peterborough City Arts Officer, promoting community arts, supporting voluntary arts organisations, creating arts events and administering funding.
? Director, Havant Arts Centre, including programming, financial control, marketing, cleaning the loos ? all the usual things in an 80-hour week!
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Working with loads of different people; seeing the finished gardens that we make; having a new career combining 25 years arts and 35 years gardening!
What do you find most difficult in your role?
Waiting for funding decisions affecting groups who are desperately trying to get the last £500 to complete the garden; deciding to reject a feature they all want.
What is your career ambition?
To make more and more gardens (accessible ones) for more and more people.
Who has influenced your career to date the most and why?
Latterly Tim Smit, the totally inspiring creator of the Eden Project for his ?never-give-up? determination, his total vision, and the project?s combination of horticulture, arts and humanity.
If you could have done any job, what would it be?
Reporter at the premiere of ?The Rite of Spring? ? or an archaeologist.
What are your wishes for the future of the arts?
? That artists be more involved in the major and serious issues of humanity.
? That the arts are accepted as much a part of life as eating.
? That gardens are considered to be an artform.