Farmers & Makers in North Aston – Oxfordshire Artweeks

222 Farmers & Makers in North Aston

Region: Bicester – North & West

Artform: Drawing, Photography, Sculpture, Textiles

In recent years, the name North Aston has become synonymous with local organic food. The beef and arable farm went organic in 1992, and today hosts several small-scale food and farming enterprises, including North Aston Organics, North Aston Dairy, and the North Aston Farm Shop & Community Hub. These independent yet interconnected projects share a common mission: producing food in ways that care for both land and people, whilst strengthening the local economy and food security.

Taking inspiration from this working landscape, and the village’s rich farming heritage, the exhibition brings together a range of practices including painting, basketry, textiles, photography, and illustration. The group includes people who work on North Aston’s farms, alongside residents and regular customers, offering a wide range of perspectives on the landscape and community.

Works on display will include baskets woven from gleaned crop residues, ceremonial clothing marking key moments in the agricultural calendar, mixed media prints exploring hedgerows, dry point intaglio prints of vegetables, and textiles and sculptures made from plant and animal fibres, among other pieces.

The exhibition reflects the diversity of making that happens here in North Aston, as well as the breadth of materials, stories, and voices. As our first exhibition together, it’s a real celebration of the creativity that emerges in response to this landscape.