The Oak Spring Garden Foundation is excited to offer a new twist to our "Paint Out" programs, with a focus on a vegetable grown every season on the Biocultural Conservation Farm (BCCF) - Collards.

This fall, the BCCF grew 8 different varieties of collards in efforts to showcase a small sampling of the many heirlooms that have been grown and stewarded by seed savers for hundreds of years. This growing project at OSGF is inspired by the efforts of The Heirloom Collard Project (heirloomcollards.org) - a collaborative coalition of gardeners, farmers, seed savers, chefs and seed companies who are dedicated to expanding the network of collard enthusiasts, growers and seed savers.

The Oak Spring Garden Foundation is pleased to host this unique opportunity for practicing artists to visit and paint, draw or create other works inspired by the beauty of collards. This opportunity is designed for practicing artists, such as plein air painters or botanical illustrators, or other artists who work outdoors, and who are able to bring their own supplies and materials. We are, therefore, requesting that only artists who are comfortable working independently, and outdoors, register for this event.

OSGF would be thrilled to share the works that develop from this Paint-Out, as well as in our local K-12 schools, in a pop-up collaborative Collard exhibit at our 2024 Fall Open Day (Saturday, September 28, 2024). Details for this exhibit are TBD, and would be optional to participate in, however we will communicate plans as they develop with participants.

The 8 different varieties growing this fall at the BCCF include: Alabama Blue - Whaley's Favorite - Hen Peck - Yellow Cabbage - Green Glaze - Vates - Champion - Utopian Ultracross. The BCCF sourced these seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (southernexposure.com).

Artists who participate will receive a copy of the Crop Stories Collard Magazine - a collaborative publication all about collards featuring art, poetry, written articles and photographs. (cropstories.com/product/collards-7/)

This event will take place at the Biocultural Conservation Farm at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville, Virginia. Artists will be asked to stay within the specified garden for the entire program.