Creative Climate Club is a free, monthly meeting for people who care about nature and are interested in creatively responding to the world around us, our local environment, and wider climate issues.
The monthly meetings will involve creative activities which can help us care for the environment, such as:
- Creative opportunities with artists such as painting, collage, sketch-booking and photography
- Opportunities to learn with local community experts such as bee foraging walks, pond ecology and talks about the Rive Tyne and its health
- The chance to make a connection with local nature, wildlife and planting of urban spaces, such as a ‘garden crawl’ to local community gardens
Healthy Park, Healthy People
Sat 25 Jan | 14:00-16:00
Kicking us off for the new year, Mandy Roberts returns to Creative Climate Club for a fun and informative workshop about Northumberland National Park - home of the iconic, and now felled, Sycamore Gap tree which so many of us came to love. We'll visit our Heartwood exhibition in our Level 5 viewing box and hear about Mandy's project Healthy Park, Healthy People, dedicated to harnessing the power of nature to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities. We'll then get creative, inspired by the creative responses to the felling, with a chance to make a sycamore leaf artwork and write a haiku. Meet in Front Room on the Ground Floor mezzanine (cuppas on us!).
Nature Poetry
Sat 22 Feb | 14:00-16:00
Join us in Front Room to meet North-East based poet and illustrator Jane Burn for a creative and inspiring writing workshop. As Michael Marks Environmental Poet of the Year 2023-24, Jane is well-versed in turning our nature encounters and climate concerns into powerful lines of flowing words to soothe the soul. Whether you're a poetry lover or a total newbie, why not try your hand at creative writing with a supportive group and a warming hot drink.
Spring Welcome Special - Meet the Baltic Beekeepers
Sat 22 Mar | 14:00-16:00
Ever wondered what happens to bees over the Winter? For this special session celebrating the return of the Baltic honeybees to the building, the Baltic Beekeepers from North East Young Dads and Lads will share their unique insight into the tiny but mighty honeybees who work hard pollinating the flowers of urban Gateshead. Learn how to build a crucial section of a beehive - a honey box frame; find out what the bees have been up to over Winter and going into Spring, and taste some locally produced honey from hives managed by the NEYDL beekeepers.
Bees-Eye-View
Sat 26 Apr | 14:00-16:00
Join the Baltic Beekeepers for a walking tour focusing on the surprising range of nearby plants which provide the local bees, including our rooftop honeybees, with their nectar and pollen. We'll meet in Baltic Front Room and venture out from there, returning at the end for a well-deserved complimentary drink.
Pond Dipping
Sat 24 May | 14:00-16:00
This month we'll take a trip to Ouseburn for an equally fun and informative pond-dipping session with geographer, artist and pond ecologist Mike Jeffries. Then join us in June for a follow-on session creating zines inspired by our findings.
Over time, members of the club will collaborate to develop our next steps, identifying practical tasks like litter picks, gardening and tree planting that we’d like to collectively participate in, new places we’d like to visit and people we’d like to hear from, and creative activities we can respond with.
Held in our Front Room for ages 13+. Please book a free ticket before attending, donations warmly welcomed.
Creative Climate Club is part of Birds, Bees, Bikes & Trees, a three-year partnership between Baltic, North East Young Dads & Lads (NEYDL) and Newcastle University , funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Read More about Birds, Bees, Bikes & Trees
The young dads creating a buzz about climate action on Baltic’s rooftop
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As a registered charity, donations to Baltic are crucial as rising costs threaten our ability to
- Keep our exhibitions free entry and accessible to everyone
- Preserve support and opportunities for our communities to thrive
- Maintain our historical and iconic building