ArtWalk in Battersea

Jemma Dooreleyers | Nov 13, 2024

Through October, Milburn Creek Nature Reserve in Battersea was a “gallery in the trees.” A forest walk with a twist, 17 installations ranged from small delicate creatures constructed from bone and wood to life-sized figures growing from a tree stump, mixed media creations, and fine, detailed water-coloured paintings to highlight the talent, creativity, and appreciation for nature local Frontenac artists have.

“It made for a very interesting walk in the woods.”

Sarah Wiseman, a Battersea local artist, poet and organizer of the Wild Art Walk in Battersea for the past two years created Wild Art Walk because she wanted to emphasize the interconnectedness of art,life and nature.

“To me art and nature are connected,” she said. “ Both can evoke a variety of emotions like awe and wonder and curiosity. I wanted to create a space where both these wonderful, beautiful, or inspiring parts of life could be experienced together. And it was a good way to get to know my community. “

According to Wiseman, most of the installations were intentionally made to sit in a natural environment with the purpose of providing a unique, inspiring atmosphere for the piece that could not be experienced anywhere else.

ArtWalk was developed as a way to bring community members who “might not think of themselves as artists” into the art space. Participants this year ranged from 9 years old to 80 years old.

“Any local residents were welcomed and encouraged to participate,” said Wiseman. “ I wanted to encourage people who might not think they were artists but had a creative inkling to participate.”

Another reason this initiative was important to Wiseman was to encourage people in the Battersea community to get out and appreciate the nature around them.

“The Art Walk has encouraged many people to get out into nature on this local trail in Battersea when they might not have otherwise,” she said. “A lot of people who walked the walk talked about how they came for the art and were surprised by the beauty of the trail itself, or they came for a walk in the woods and were quite moved or delighted by the art.“

While all of the installations were taken down at the end of October, one installation will remain on the trail for the rest of the year, with a new poem from a local poet appearing each month. Poetry Bench is a cedar bench with an element of wooden “books” resting on its seat. One of the books opens to the text of a poem as well as a QR code which links to a sound recording of the poet reading their poem out loud. November’s poem is written by Carolyn Smart.

Although the Poetry Bench is the only installation remaining, Wiseman hopes the installation can be used as a reminder through out the year.

“Art exists in nature everywhere, even when we are not looking,” she said. “Find it, get outside, it has the power to inspire, heal and transform us.”

For anyone looking to volunteer on the Wild Art Committee or looking to feature your poetry on the Poetry Bench email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..