Claire Tedstone

she/they

Visual artist and poet

Claire has been quietly and generously creating stunning artefacts and documentation in response to a variety of enquiries that she has participated in led by CoLab Dudley collaborators. From The Gifts of the Green Man, through Reclaiming our Roots, to the Council of All Beings, Claire's attentive talent has brought beauty to convenings and diligence and joy to exhibitions of creativity and learning.

In 2026 Claire is joining the CoLab Dudley team as a collaborating artist, working alongside Deb to design and facilitate enquiries with young people around climate positive hope and imaginative dreaming. The Folklore, Fairytales, Myth and Magic enquiry in summer 2026 will also see Claire and Deb teaming up; they have been dreaming in the dark about this since winter 2025! Alongside this Claire will be contributing to our Regenerative Futures storytelling.

Role cards currently held by Claire

• Collective Imagination Steward
• Regenerative Futures Storyteller

Claire's creative contribution to CoLab Dudley enquiries is around 1 day per week.

In relationship with place: Dudley's nature reserves, parks and entries

Claire spends time in and around Dudley town centre and has cultivated deep relationships with some spots. She says...

Dudley is an incredibly special place to me and there are many places that I feel a connection to. There are the larger, more obvious ones - like Wren’s Nest Nature Reserve, where it feels like I could be in any time or space as I meander through the trees and stop to spot fungi on fallen branches and butterflies dancing on the breeze.

Then, there’s Priory Park, a pocket of space that feels like a portal to the past. History in my hands as they trace their way along the walls of the priory ruins. The invigorating scent of the rosemary that grows in the garden next to the ruins. The sunken pond, secreted away behind a stone wall where I’ve sat drawing in the sunshine, reflecting quietly. The rose garden where I collect fallen petals as I walk through to a secluded spot next to the community cafe. The london plane tree that I sit beneath barefoot as I breathe and reconnect, her arms outstretched as if dancing to the birdsong surrounding us, the great oak standing opposite - her adoring audience. Each season brings a different beauty and an abundance of gifts. I have often wandered the park collecting fallen leaves, petals and branches for use in art projects, and in return, as thanks, I tend to the spaces I take from by collecting litter.

There are the smaller pockets of space that are precious too. The brick that has crumbled in the wall lining Green Man Entry - home to the moss that grows there. The dandelions that grow defiantly through the paving of Long Entry with its artwork suspended above. The intricate stone carvings of the fountain, an ornate stage for local pigeons as they parade the purple green iridescence of their plumage. The view of the castle from the bottom of Birdcage Walk. 

There is a quiet magic to Dudley, if only we take the time to stop and notice it.