The Venice Biennale Edition/Il lanciatore della Biennale di Venezia Padiglione

Couldn’t move for sweaty curators? Couldn’t find the New Forest Pavilion? Ran out of spaghetti nero? Sarah McRory couldn’t get you on to Roman’s yacht? Someone made you walk half way across Venice to the Yemeni opening only to be refused entry? Couldn’t buy fags after midnight? Transvestites gave you gip? Pants riding up? Opt out of the publicly funded arts organizations’ clamor to associate with the super rich and join us in a self-righteous bath of uva acerba.

Tuesday 14 June, Coniston Institute 10.00am – 9.00pm

Resident artist Charlie Tweed presents a day of talks by local people who have 'diversified their practice in a radical way' AKA ‘tried something new’. Including local hotelier and Slow Life campaigner Jonathan Denby, Lakeland Permaculture and local weird bird Adam Sutherland talking about salvation through architecture -  the aim being to teach artists how to be more creative about what they consider to be art and how they do it (see Venice. Ed).  Areas covered will include Transition Towns and local resilience, permaculture models for growing and living, rural businesses and farm diversification, sustainable building and new modes of creative practice.

The talks will be followed by a diversification meal drawn from local ingredients including five-squirrel stew, garden snail risotto and pike cakes. All allergy, religious, fashion, half-baked diets catered for and indulged.

Free but booking is essential. For further information email maria@grizedale.org or call 015394 41050

Wednesday 15 June, Coniston Institute 7.30pm

German curator Robert Eikmeyer will be giving a dense, theory-laden lecture as part of the ongoing Mechanics Education Programme. Robert’s touring project in collaboration with Grizedale Arts (feat. Jonathan Meese, Liam Gillick, Martin Kippenburger, etc) When Forests Went on a Journey is now showing at Kunstverein Pforzheim im Reuchlinhaus and coming to a forest near you soon. Not for the faint hearted nor glakit friendly. (That sounds like a tough one. Ed.)

Free.Booking essential.

13 – 16th June, Coniston village and Lawson Park

Jeremy Millar, resident pontificator and serial faceboooker, is bringing his flock of Royal College Critical Writing students to stay next week, whereupon they will be subjected to all the above, whilst attempting to develop projects that can inform the development of our touring proposal for a way out of the Contemporary Impasse through a reworking of the historical narratives of the mid nineteenth century in relation to the current challenges from the peripheries of the performative frame. Just thought we’d let you know.

Sunday 19 June 12.00am – 5.00pm Lawson Park

RIBA award winning Lawson Park (the first ever RIBA award in the Lake District) will be opening it’s doors and garden gates on Sunday 19 June as part of the Royal Horticultural Society Open Gardens Scheme. Tea and Cakes spectacularo. Admission £3.50 all for charititi.

Highlights include: Holden Clough rampant (primulas a go-go), Japanese paddy fields abundant, Adam Chodzko's gallows a-hanging, new plantings and limping ducks a-running, farm produce uplifted and entirely staffed by ginger people aflame.

Mini bus or walk from Machells Coppice – no vehicle access

For more info go the RHS website or contact us directly

25 and 26th of June

Boon Day (ancient day of free labour exchange) with the village volunteers. Restoration of the Coniston Institute. Bring overalls, octogenarians and altruism. Fine home cooking served all day.

The Boon Group has just been awarded a grant to renovate the kitchen by the the Coniston 14 road race charity. Many thanks, Comiston 14 (see GA dep dawg receive a giant cheque, live, at the Coniston Sports and Social Club this Wednesday at 7.00pm).

Anyone for the old, slightly battered 1940’s English Rose kitchen? (Is that one of those super cool aluminium kitchens that cost an absolute fortune on Ebay? Ed.).

Beijing based artist Emi Eumara will be with us from June 16th – 31st to start her soup growing project based on Ruskin’s idea that every person should have a plot of land to support them in life and after death. Not the easiest marketing strategy for a new cafe but after marshmallowcuberlandsausage (Cumberlande salsiccia altea) you never know. Watch the website and facebook for interaction opportunities.

(I don’t suppose you doing anything in June are you? –  I am in the area. Ed.)

Tasting evening Friday 8th July 6.00pm – 9.00pm,  Coniston Institute

In part three of artist Fernando Garcia-Dory’s project, he leads a ‘draft’ tasting of the new cheese, matured in Ruskin's caves for two months. This will be the first tasting of what we can tell you will be one seriously culture covered mother of cheeses - surprises hoped for!

Friday 8th July from 6pm- 9pm at the Coniston Institute. Including a range of British cheeses selected by Martin Gott and matched wines by Ambleside Organics. 

£5 entrance – all proceeds towards the Institute restoration fund.

Email maria@grizedale.org for more information or call us on 015394 41050

Saturday 9th July at 6.00pm, online

A webcast discussion on the metaphysical application of dairy produce live from Lawson Park between a specially invited crack team of European philosophers. Listen at 6.00pm on www.lawsonpark.org or enjoy the podcast.

Make your holiday count this year

Monday 18th July to Friday 22nd July

In a project by resident artist Emma Smith we are running a four-day course and a one-day conference to develop ideas for a new kind of tourism.

Highlights include: Professor John Urry, Pooyah Gudohosi, Gavin Jack, a full range of local food from pub to pack, Jacob’s Join to high cuisine, practical work sessions, social and intellectual engagement, writing a new country code, open air talks, walks, boat trips and Ruskin land.

Bringing tourism specialists together with locals, visitors with service providers, sociologists with sceptics, eco warriors with off-road warriors, conservationists with polluters, traditionalists with new-notionalists, honey potters with pottery potters, benefactors with money grubbers. A re-think on how we visit and how to make our visits a valuable exchange. 

For full details and programme click here or contact maria@grizedale.org or call 015394 41050

ICA, London, 9 June 2011 - 25 September 2011

Grizedale stalwart Snr Pablo Bronstein opens his major solo show this week at the Instituto of Contemporary Arts in that Londinium. Sketches for Regency Living is “a groundbreaking exhibition in which, for the first time, an individual artist works across the entire ICA introducing major architectural interventions, as well as choreographing extraordinary art and ballet performances.” (See image, right, of the artist doing just that on the Windermere ferry)

Congratulations to another Grizedale stalwart Rose on her marriage to Chris on 11^th June.