Eco Arts Book Club

You’re invited to the Eco Arts Book Club! Read, reflect & create with natural materials. Slow, inspiring evenings at Canopy StudiosJoin artist and facilitator Andrea Merredew at Canopy Studios for a slow, spacious, and inspiring monthly practice that blends reading, reflection, and art‑making.Each workshop begins with a conversation about the book we’re exploring together. From there, the themes and questions that surface become the spark for that month’s eco‑art project.Over the course of the series, we’ll journey through a new book every two months, giving ideas time to settle, deepen, and bloom into artwork made with natural and sustainable materials.Expect evenings filled with:Thoughtful, nourishing book discussionsHands‑on eco‑art projects inspired by the landPlayful experimentation with natural materialsA warm, supportive creative communitySpace to reconnect with your senses, imagination, and the world around you🎟️ Tickets & PricingJoin us in a way that works for you—come every month from May - December or drop in for just a couple sessions depending on the book or art activity that interests you.Single Workshop:$35 per sessionEco Book Club MemberAll 8 sessions for $245 (one free session)Early Bird Offer:Register by Earth Day (April 22) and receive 15% offPromo code: EARTH`15Bring-a-Friend Deal:$60 for two ticketsDates and ThemesMay 15 and June 19 from 6-8pm: Who are your waters?Book: Is a River Alive? by Robert MacfarlaneIn May, we’ll explore the waters that shape our lives by creating personal scrolls with recycled textiles and simple hand‑stitching. Slow, calming, and open to all skill levels. If this is a challenge to your hands or eyes an alternative project is available so please consider joining.In June, we’ll turn our attention to the waters close to home by creating mosaics with plastic collected from the shores of Glenmore Reservoir. Join our shoreline cleanup on May 9, 10–12 to gather materials for your piece and help care for the water that sustains us.July 24 & August 28 from 6-8pm: What if the Earth loved you back?Book: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererOver the summer we’ll move out into the garden to create with the land. In July, we’ll harvest from the garden and make ephemeral land‑art installations.In August, we’ll weave with plants, creating small, whimsical baskets and sculptural forms. If this is a challenge to your hands or eyes an alternative project is available so please consider joining.September 18 & October 16 from 6-8pm: Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About it.Book: Devotions by Mary OliverIn September, we’ll wander the neighbourhood around Canopy Studios with our cameras (or phones), to connect deeply with the present moment, focusing on seeing the world with fresh eyes.In October, we’ll create mixed media art with natural materials such as birch bark, wood fibre, and leaf skeletons.November 20 & 18 December: Everything Is Waiting for YouBook: River Flow by David WhyteAs the year slows, we’ll turn toward stillness and reflection, inspired by David Whyte’s Everything Is Waiting for You. These months invite gentle, contemplative making—creative practices that help us listen inward, notice what’s arriving, and honour the quiet gifts of the season.In November, we’ll create a mixed‑media collage using old magazines and found materials.In December, we’ll craft a Dark Sky Journal, a companion for the winter months and an invitation to step outside in the evening to gather thoughts, sketches, and reflectionsWhat Is Eco Art?Eco art is a creative practice that responds to the environmental challenges of our time. It invites us to pay attention to the living world and make art that honours, protects, and collaborates with the earth—using materials, methods, and ideas rooted in ecological care.At its heart, eco art is about:SustainabilityUsing natural, recycled, reclaimed, or low‑impact materials (wood, leaves, plants, clay, found objects, or repurposed materials) to reduce environmental im