Ash Rise - July Talk

Join us on Friday 18th July for a celebration of the ash tree, contemporary creativity, craft and furniture making with curator and creative producer, Susanna Beaumont.
Susanna Beaumont is the creative producer of Ash Rise, a touring exhibition showcasing contemporary design, making, and the ash tree.
We are delighted to welcome Susanna to Mount Stuart to share the story behind the making of the Ash Rise exhibition, which highlights the brilliance of Scotland's makers and designers. Susanna will trace the origins of the exhibition, which began with the felling of three ash trees in a woodland in Stirlingshire due to ash die-back. She will also delve into the journey of the ash trees from a sawmill, then onwards to workshops and studios across Scotland, and into their afterlives as part of the Ash Rise touring exhibition.
Ash Rise is currently on display at Benmore Botanic Garden, and is a creative partnership between Scottish Furniture Makers Association, Scottish Forestry, and Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers, celebrating the ash tree and highlighting the effects of ash dieback through the work of 20 outstanding contemporary makers, designers, and artists from across Scotland.


About our July Speaker
Susanna Beaumont is a curator and creative producer, who has far-reaching knowledge of working with designers and artists on site-specific installations, exhibitions and commissions in Scotland and beyond. An energetic thinker and innovator, Susanna is passionate about advocacy and supporting creative ambition and a sense of adventure.
In 2018 she launched Design Exhibition Scotland to celebrate contemporary designing and making. her projects include Design for Our Times as part of the London Design Festival 2021, which was later shown at the V&A Dundee in 2022.
Susanna has worked with Mount Stuart Trust over a number of years on commissions by artists Nathan Coley, Moyna Flannigan and Lucy Skaer. More recently she initiated a Scotland-wide open call to celebrate park benches through a series of new bench commissions for the grounds of Mount Stuart House & Gardens.
She is also the creative producer of Ash Rise, a touring exhibition showcasing contemporary design and making and the ash tree - Ash Rise is currently on show at the Courtyard Gallery at Benmore Botanic Garden. Susanna is working towards Earth Matters, an exhibition to open next March at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh marking the tercentenary of the celebrated geologist and farmer, James Hutton.
Event Information
- The event takes place at Mount Stuart House, postcode PA20 9LR
- Parking is available at the main House, please follow signage for coach and accessible parking
- Doors open at 5:15pm for a 5:30pm talk start
- Visitors with special access requirements should contact the Mount Stuart team in advance to make arrangements e: contactus@mountstuart.com
- Current Mount Stuart Members are entitled to a discounted ticket rate for the talk, please select the Mount Stuart Member option when booking
Tickets