Jessie Growden is an artist and writer based in the Scottish Borders. She grew up between a garden centre in England and a forest in Scotland, and would like to be back in the forest more often than not. She studied design for textiles at Heriot-Watt University, and in her ‘day-job’, she works with a firm of Architects and Surveyors. Her work considers things including but not limited to nature, landscape, collections, neurodivergence, songs, and bodily autonomy. She mostly works with video, drawing, photography and words. She likes fluffy animals, raunchy fantasy novels, drinking tea, celebrating birthdays, being paid for her work, cycling, knitting, spreadsheets that use conditional formatting, comfortable shoes, long walks in the woods, and typing lists of things.
Artist Statement:
My work explores place, landscape and personal experiences through playful and also structural approaches to recording and presenting images. Focusing on objects, both the sentimental and the throwaway, and the history and lives of things and places, I look to create work both autobiographical and performative. While exploring the local and personal through a feminist lens, I aim to preserve these objects and places, while questioning what they really say to and about us. I work mainly in video, and also use sculpture, photography, drawing and writing in my practice.
Screenings and Exhibitions:
2025:
Small Works Exhibition, Garfield Mill, Hawick, 20/11/25 – 6/12/25
Bodies in Water
Tweed River Festival, Peebles, 1/11/25, details here.
Studio Sale
Coffin End, Hawick (1 North Bridge Street) 14/11/25 – 16/11/25, 11am-4pm – drop in, say hi, buy things!
Films of Place and Landscape by Jessie Growden, Full of Noises, Barrow-in-Furness, 13/7/25, tickets here.
Landscape Landscape
Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival 2025, 1/5/25 – 4/5/25, details here.
2024:
Winter, Summer, and Labels (works fromI’ve Only Been Here Half My Life).
Collective: 15 years of VACMA in the South of Scotland, Live Borders, Peebles Library, Museum & Gallery, Peebles, 27/7/24 – 19/10/24, details here.
A Sacrifice to the Midges
Now and Then: Dalkeith Palace, Visual Arts Scotland
Dalkeith Palace, Dalkeith, 17/8/24 – 26/8/24, details here.
Urm
Neuk Perspectives: An exhibition by members of the Neuk Collective, WASPS Patriothall Gallery, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, 4/7/24 – 28/7/24, details here.
2023:
Unframed at Unit Four: The Cornucopia Room, Hawick, 5/12/23 – 22/12/23.
The John Byrne Award Annual Exhibition 2023, 22/6/23 -2/7/23, Summerhall, Edinburgh, details here.
Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival 2023, Focus: Jessie Growden, 30/4/23, 10AM, read full programme here.
Borders Art Fair, Springwood Park, Kelso 16/3/23-19/3/23 See the Borders Art Fair brochurehere and press coverage in the Southern Reporterhere.
2022:
I Canoe Canoe Canoe
My mama told me I’m experimental, Saigon Experimental Film Festival 26/11/22 – 27/11/22
I’m Not From Here
The Great Tapestry Gala, The Great Tapestry of Scotland 9/9/22 (this was cancelled because the Queen died…)
Portrait Landscape
Creative Peebles Festival, Eastgate Theatre, Peebles 27/8/22 – 28/8/22
Portrait Landscape (excerpt)
Borders Book Festival, Melrose 18/6/22 in the Moving Images Cinema Caravan. info here
6×6 Project
Joined the 6×6 project in their 28th edition, visit the site here
I’m Not From Here
Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival 2022, Hawick 28/4/22 – 2/5/22 info here
25/1/22
Scottish Society of Artists 30×30 at Borders Art Fair 25/3/33 – 27/3/22 info here
Pink
Visual Arts Scotland annual exhibition, REVERB, online 19/3/22 – 29/4/22) info here
2021:
I’ve Only Been Here Half My Life
Alchemy Film & Arts – The Teviot, The Flag & The Rich Rich Soil 26/11/21 – 28/11/21 Info here
Treeline
Contributor to Ruth Maclennan’s commission for In the Forest Something Stirred, co-commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella and Forestry England. 8/11/21 onwards Info here
I am Tall Meepa
Moving Image Makers Collective – Conversations with a Forest, 17/9/21 – 18/9/21 Info here
2020:
Photograph
Alchemy Live 2020, 1/5/20 Info here
Lines in the Sand
The Stove Network, Dumfries, 14/2/20 Info here
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
The Stove Network, Dumfries, 14/2/20 Info here
2019:
Lines in the Sand
CCA, Glasgow, 7/12/19 Info here
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
CCA, Glasgow, 7/12/19 Info here
Lines in the Sand
Filmhuis Cavia, Amsterdam, 6/12/19 Info here
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
Filmhuis Cavia, Amsterdam, 6/12/19 Info here
Lines in the Sand
Pix Film Gallery, Toronto, 15/11/19 Info here
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
Pix Film Gallery, Toronto, 15/11/19 Info here
Sixty Three Plastic Bottles and One Aluminium Can
Cinemaforum, Warsaw, 7/11/19 Info here
Lines in the Sand
Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, 4/10/19 Info here
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, 4/10/19 Info here
Lines in the Sand
NAUTILUS: BEEF Shed at Supernormal Festival 2019, Oxfordshire, 2-4/8/19
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
NAUTILUS: BEEF Shed at Supernormal Festival 2019, Oxfordshire, 2-4/8/19
Lines in the Sand
A Cyborg’s Search for Meaning, Safehouse, London, 3/8/19 – 4/8/19
Scottish Borders Life Drawing Club Exhibition
Kelso Mens’ Shed, Kelso, 18/7/19 – 1/8/19
Lines in the Sand
Borders Book Festival, Melrose, 14/6/19
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
Borders Book Festival, Melrose, 14/6/19
Lines in the Sand
DunsPlayFest, Duns, 9/5/19
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
DunsPlayFest, Duns, 9/5/19
Lines in the Sand
Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, 5/5/19
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, 5/5/19
Lines in the Sand
Experiments in Cinema 14.2, Albuquerque, USA 16/4/19
Granny Duncan’s Tape Collection
FilmFort: Treefort Music Fest, Boise, Idaho, USA, 23/3/19
2018:
Circle #3
Winnipeg Undergruond Film Festival, 1/6/18
Sixty Three Plastic Bottles and One Aluminium Can
Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival, 5/5/18
Rising and Falling
Peebles Outdoor Film Festival, 29/1/18
2017:
Another Forest
Yarrow, Ettrick and Selkirk Arts Festival, 14-17/9/17
River Installation
A MIMC collaborative work.
Yarrow, Ettrick and Selkirk Arts Festival, 14-17/9/17
Rising and Falling
River Ways Festival, Hawick 7/9/17
Work in Progress
Alchemy Film & Arts, Moving Image Makers Exhibition Programme, 31/8/17 – 2/9/17
Circle #3
Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival, 2-6/3/17
Swings and Roundabouts
Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival, 2-6/3/17
Hedgehog Stories: Harestanes Countryside Centre Spring Exhibition 2017
2016:
TFOD
Creative Coathanger Festival, 1/10/16
Wild about Badgers: Harestanes Countryside Centre Spring Exhibition, Thurs 24 March – Sun 5 June 2016
2015:
Back and Forth
Edinburgh Artists’ Moving Image Festival, 12/12/15
Forest
Forman Hall Film Night, Roberton, 20/11/15
Forest 2
Beyond the Shutter – Yarrow, Ettrick and Selkirk Arts Festival, 12-20/9/15
Back and Forth
Moving Image Makers Collective Screening, Hawick, 24/6/15
Forest
Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival, 19/4/15
Painting the Park: Rose Hughes and Friends, 1/3/15 – 3/5/15
Residencies:
Connecting Threads artist on residence – Watery Commons, 2025. More info here
Alchemy Film & Arts Artist in Residence, 2020
Alchemy Film & Arts Moving Image Residencies 2017, Café Tissardmine, Morocco.
Bursaries, Grants and Prizes:
Shortlist, The John Byrne Award, July 2022 for Landscape / Portrait drawings. See the entry here.
LUX Scotland bursary, DIY approaches to cameraless and 16mm filmmaking workshop, July 2022
Hawick Callants Club Common Riding Essay Competition winner (Adult) 2020
Read the essay here.
South of Scotland Visual Artist & Craft Maker Awards, 2019
SUPERLUX bursary, Screenwriting for Artists Workshop at Glasgow Film Festival, February 2017
South of Scotland Visual Artist & Craft Maker Awards, 2014 – 2015
Other Commissions:
2022:
Illustrations for The Teviot, The Flag & The Rich, Rich Soil, Alchemy Film & Arts
2011:
‘Colours of Chemistry’, St Andrew’s University, Fife
Jessie Growden is a member of the Scottish Artists Union. To find out more, click on the logo! 
Jessie Growden 