What a great week at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center! A group of 14 wonderful 6-11 year olds worked hard, investigated, collaborated, and invented with natural materials to create a sculpture trail. Campers created drawing journals, built animals out of clay, learned to bind sticks together, drew detailed sketches of animals we met close up each day, constructed a bird blind where visitors can watch for birds, invented and decorated signs for our trail, and celebrated the trail’s opening by welcoming their folks for a tour!

What a fabulous week of intense work with K-2 students at Underhill School in Hooksett!
Students moved soil, planted our butterfly/bird habitat plants, planted seeds and bulbs, filled walkways with pea stone, mulched around our plantings, added rocks, a birdhouse, a birdbath, sticks to build habitat shelters with, and signs.

What a wonderful week! Even with the not-so-spring-like weather, I really enjoyed the residency. We had two major projects going on. Each morning, I worked with Grades 3-5, repurposing plastic items (with LOTS of bottle caps) to make stepping stones. Students have the choice to donate their stone back to the school for the beautiful school garden, or they can bring their piece home, when they’ve cured.

In the afternoons, I worked with Grades 1 and 2, making paper using ripped up scrap paper and an assortment of natural materials.

South School’s Art Teacher, Marcia Connors has been fabulous to work with! We’ll celebrate all of this work on April 22 as part of the Art Show.

What a wonderful mini residency at MCS! Year 7 for this project meant that students who were in Kindergarten for year one, are now adding their last messages and reflections onto their panel. Final photos are coming up as we unveil the updated panels.
Some process photos here…As always with the project, students work in teams, drawing, planning, discussing their job for the panel. It’s hard work! When teams have their ingredient ready, they help to plan where the design will go on the panel.

Liking the scale of this nest work…one of several I’ve been working on.

Getting ready for an action packed few days with Moultonborough Central School. This is year seven for the mural project. It’s a cool concept: there are 7 panels, one for each grade (K-6), and each year students add something new to their panel, which moves up one spot on the cafeteria wall. The theme is Moultonborough’s Natural Environment, and teachers at each grade level have determined the environmental concepts that connect to classroom studies. Kindergarten thinks about trees, first grade studies insects, second grade considers clouds, third grade digs into endangered species. Fourth grade connects their drawings to their hiking field trips, creating tracks and trails, 5th grade focuses on the first settlers in the area, drawing their first buildings and tools. Sixth grade pulls the concepts together to create messages that highlight what makes Moultonborough a special place.
Today’s job was to get the Kindergarten panel ready. Those students will be drawing trees, which we’ll add into a basic background.

Glad to have this work back from its exhibit tour!

This piece, “Tension in the Meadow” is on view at The New Hampton School’s Art Gallery.

Tension in the Meadow
Vigilance, problem solving, creativity: I am interested in breaking down the accepted frame, re-contextualizing the view. Even in our most beautiful landscapes, vacation destinations, seemingly peaceful settings, there are murmurings and groans from a weary earth.
We are tied to this ground, and we must participate in cultivating its healing, and nurturing a healthier human/nature coexistence.