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A project supporting the Dean Heritage Centre,
Forest of Dean artists and retailers.
Gifts Inspired by local Artists
Dean Heritage Centre and Inspired by the Forest
Nestled in an old mining valley by the village of Soudley in the Forest of Dean, by one of the most picturesque lakes in the area, the Dean Heritage Centre safely holds and displays items and stories from the area’s fascinating past.
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The Heritage Centre, set in 5 acres of woodland and trails, has museum displays, archives, puts on education and craft workshops as well as special days and is financed by admissions, the Café, with it’s beautiful views over our Mill Pond, the gift shop and donations.
Like many museums, extra funding is always needed to pay the ever increasing costs, especially heating our Grade II listed Mill Building.
This fascinating area also houses a talented artistic community who often draw on the local surroundings for inspiration.
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Funded by the Association of Independent Museums, Inspired by the Forest showcases work by local artists on products sold around the local area. The artworks are licenced for a period of time and profits from the goods sold go towards the Museum costs.
How the Project got started
A trustee and the retail manager from the Dean Heritage Centre attended a ‘steps to sustainability’ course, weekly, for 6 months. At the end we gave a presentation of our idea to create extra funds and help make the museum sustainable. The leaders accepted our idea of working with local artists to create products to be sold around the area and gave us some funds to explore the idea and set up the project. Our logo, website, initial artist licence fees and a small batch of initial products have been paid for by these funds. Without this AIM funding we would not be able to research and test initiatives such as this.
We asked local artists if they wanted to submit a piece of artwork for our products and we were amazed by how many people wanted to get involved and how fantastic the artwork was. We had some public votes and the most popular pictures were chosen first. When we increase our product range hopefully we can use some more of these fabulous pictures.
We started small, with notebooks and mugs and if successful, hope to expand our range.
We hope the Heritage Centre, the artists and local retailers will all benefit from this project.
People voted to choose the images we will use on or products. They also gave feedback about the idea and the products.
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107 people voted on the final pictures, they were local and from outside the area, staff, volunteers and visitors as well as people who’ve never visited, men and women of a variety of ages. All designs were popular.
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Overall
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77% of voters said they would consider buying a notebook for themselves
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95% of voters said they would consider buying a notebook as a gift
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74% of voters would consider buying a Mug for themselves
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92% of voters would consider buying a Mug as a gift.
Notebooks Designs
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36% of voters chose the bluebell picture for the notebook
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90% of those said they would buy the product for themselves
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95% of those who chose the bluebells design said they would buy the product as a gift.
Mug Designs
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33% of voters chose the black and white animals picture for the mug
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74% of those said they would buy the product for themselves
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87% of those said they would buy the product as a gift​
Comments
Notebooks (people who chose the Bluebells design)
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Good looking products
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I liked 1and 2 designs!
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I think this gives a lovely impression of the colour and feeling of the Forest.
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Love the pop of colour
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So pretty and great to celebrate bluebell season.
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Mugs (people who chose the black and white design)
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my choice would depend on the material the mug is made of . I only like porcelain mugs
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This looks like Sarah Delahoy's work, which I love
General Comments
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All products look very commercial, so choosing was quite difficult.
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Good luck, I will look forward to seeing them in the shop
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It's about time we had local Forest gifts for sale in the Forest. I have struggled for years to get Forest gifts for friends. Thank you.
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Please can the mugs be dish washer friendly.
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tea-towels; bookmarks and fridge magnets are also popular.
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The photography is great- would be great to see more products showcased like this
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What a fab idea to showcase local art!
Lisa Dear Artworks
Contemporary Painter exploring movement, texture, and form. My artwork is driven by a deep connection to nature and a desire to capture the memories and emotions of the beautiful Wye Valley and Forest of Dean, where I live. Inspired by the sensory world of plants, landscapes, changing seasons, and flowers, my work moves beyond realism, embracing sculptural shapes that emerge through movement and expressive marks. Through layered textures and careful paint application, I enhance the interplay of highlights and shadows, bringing the subjects to life. I work with thinned oil paints, applied through a spray air-gun, building intricate layers that add depth and dimension to each piece. My love of colour, shape, and texture is at the heart of every painting, creating immersive and dynamic compositions.
Sarah Delahoy Printmaker
I am a printmaker working from my studio in the grounds of my home on Harrow Hill in the Forest of Dean, where I also run printmaking workshops. I first discovered a love of printmaking while studying for a GNVQ Adv in Art and Design at Hereford Art College and a Decorative Arts Degree in Nottingham during the 90’s. I returned to it around 10 years ago while attempting to find balance with my day job as a freelance Art Teacher and a need to get back to my own creative practice. During my training I worked with many different printing techniques, but my focus is now mainly with linocut, collagraph and drypoint and I love to teach these processes on my workshops too. I enjoy the endless possibilities of creating a printing block or plate and the magic and excitement of pulling the first print never fades. My most recent work is a collection of multi-block linocut prints inspired by all the birds that visit our garden here in the Forest of Dean. I love the strong design element that the linocut process encourages with its bold graphic lines and considered mark-making. As well as limited edition original prints, I also print my designs onto cards, gifts and homewares.
Forest Animals by Sarah Delahoy
Bluebells Notebook Range Lisa Dear
The Heritage Gift Shop, Dean Heritage Centre, Camp Mill, Soudley, GL14 2UB - Contact us
Get in Touch
Inspired by the Forest is run by the Dean Heritage Centre
Email: info@deanheritagecentre.com​​
Phone: 01594 822170