Biggest Morning Tea at the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens

Join us for the special opening of the exhibition "Understory" by local artist, educator, and environmental advocate Anna Scobie. This exhibition explores the beauty of the 'Urban Hum Tiny Forest', highlighting individual leaves of various endemic species from the Hunter region.

Anna's watercolours and wooden sculptures celebrate the thriving forest ecosystem and the community that planted it.

Anna, who learned woodworking from her late father, renowned woodturner Neil Scobie, is hosting this 'Australia's Biggest Morning Tea' fundraising event as part of the exhibition. Join her for a fun community workshop in the beautiful botanic garden grounds. All ticket sale funds will be donated 50/50 to the volunteer-run Hunter Botanic Gardens and cancer research.

Your ticket includes a short artist talk by Anna Scobie, materials to create your own nature-inspired watercolour, and a delicious morning tea.

This event celebrates nature, community, and creativity while supporting Cancer Council’s life-saving cancer research, prevention, advocacy, and support programs.

If you cannot attend the event you can still show your support for those impacted by cancer please visit https://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/donate and find Anna Scobie’s fundraiser.

Your ticket includes:

• All day Entry into the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
• Watercolour postcard
• Morning Tea
• Volunteer tour of the Gardens
• All funds going towards HRBG and the Cancer Council

Why raise funds for the Cancer Council?

I believe there is no one who hasn’t been touched by cancer in some way. For me, the first time it deeply impacted my life was when my father was taken by pancreatic cancer. I can’t start a woodworking project without giving thanks to my father. He taught me, as he did so many others, to carve timber. But most importantly, he taught me to be part of a community, to share my skills to help others, and to see every stranger as a new friend.

My father was a man who gave to the community in many ways—as a teacher, coach, and friend. This exhibition wouldn’t be here without the community that came together to plant a tiny forest. I wanted to share one of my skills with the community and ask you to come together, value each other, and buy a ticket. Your support will benefit both the volunteer-run botanic garden and the amazing efforts of the Cancer Council.

Read more about the late Neil Scobie:

https://www.woodreview.com.au/profiles/in-remembrance-of-neil-scobie

About Anna Scobie:

Anna Scobie, Co-Founder of Urban Hum, is a passionate artist and dedicated art educator based in Newcastle, Australia. With a lifelong affinity for woodworking inherited from her late father Neil Scobie, Anna began learning wood carving at a young age, starting woodturning by the age of three and continuing to work with timber ever since.

Anna's artistic journey spans over a decade of exhibitions across the Hunter region and Australia. She holds a Fine Arts degree with honours from the University of Newcastle, complemented by a Graduate Diploma of Education and a Masters in Art Administration from COFA, UNSW.

Co-founding Urban Hum initially as a community-focused beekeeping venture, Anna transitioned its mission after the loss of 130 hives to the Varroa mite crisis, maintaining a steadfast commitment to community, education, and environmental stewardship. Passionate about catalysing community-driven change, Anna leverages her artmaking to initiate dialogues and raise awareness about pressing environmental issues.

As an art educator, Anna advocates for artists and fosters meaningful connections through her guided artmaking workshops and events. Her sculptural creations, predominantly crafted from Australian timbers, draw inspiration from the natural world, particularly leaves and seed pods, reflecting her deep-rooted connection to the environment.

This bio encapsulates Anna Scobie's diverse roles as an artist, mother, educator, and community advocate, highlighting her artistic journey and commitment to sustainability and community engagement.

About the Exhibition: Understory

1st - 30th August

The exhibition ‘Understory" by local artist, educator and environmental advocate Anna Scobie explores the intricate beauty of a community-led planting project known as the 'Urban Hum Tiny Forest'. The exhibition focuses on the individual leaves of various endemic species from the Hunter region, highlighting how these diverse elements come together to form a thriving forest ecosystem. Just as the forest flourishes through collaborative growth, so too does the community that united to plant it.

The exhibition delves into the synergy between biodiversity and community, emphasising parallels between the growth of a forest and the bonds formed among individuals during the planting process. By magnifying the unique characteristics of each leaf, "Understory" seeks to illustrate the collective strength found in diversity, both in nature and within human communities. Through artistic explorations in watercolour, timber and steel, the exhibition aims to inspire reflection on the interconnectedness of local ecology and social harmony.

About the Urban Hum Tiny Forest:

https://thegroundswell.org.au/tiny-forest-type/urban-hum-tiny-forest/#

The Urban Hum Tiny Forest provides a dense pocket of habitat for native wildlife, absorbs carbon, and offers an inviting and educational place for locals to enjoy. It was planted by 70 members of the commuinty in October 2023. This is a project delivered by The Groundswell Collective.