Co-designing Home is where the garden is
Despacito Art School with Aaron McKay and Polly Brannan
17 + 18 April 2025
10am – 3pm
Open School East
Photo: Open School East, 2025
OSE’s Artistic Director and Artist Polly Brannan led still life drawing in watercolours, pencils and pastels to co-develop the visual identity of the two year thematic cycle Home is where the garden is. Visuals developed by Despacito with Polly were integrated by OSE’s in-house Graphic Designer George Harding into a series of stickers and illustrations that were used in invites, community publications and as part of workshops at OSE’s Civic Partner venues.
On Day 2, OSE’s Community Gardener Aaron McKay worked with Despacito to sew the first seeds of the OSE allotment planters at Civic Partner Ethel Athel Alleyway Garden. Here Despacito learnt about seasonal crops, companion planting and how to take plant cuttings. Produce sewn by Despacito was later used in pop-up community pickling and cooking workshops, led by OSE Community Chef Keely Burrows and facilitated by older members of Desapcito.
Workshops were supported by Community Support Facilitator Vlasta Hozova.
This workshop is part of Open School East’s 2024-26 thematic cycle Home is where the garden is – find out more here: openschooleast.org/home-is