This summer, Artists Creating Together has provided an opportunity for youths and adults to learn more about gardening, grow and harvest their crops, and learn more about the environment where our plants grow! Led by Teaching Artist Caitlin Qua, students were taught how to properly plant their crops and give them the right amount of nutrients they need to flourish. Our students' green thumbs helped grow an abundance of fruits, veggies, and herbs, including tomatoes, banana peppers, strawberries, basil, lavender, and thyme. At the end of the class, students will harvest their crops and bring them home!
The Art of Gardening class also took a site visit to Blandford Nature Center, a non-profit that provides care for rehabilitated animals and maintains hundreds of acres of land to ensure the life in its ecosystem remains preserved and healthy. ACT students learned from Blandford Nature Center’s staff all about the birds that receive care at the center, such as owls, ravens, vultures, and hawks. They had the opportunity to see the birds up close in rehabilitation centers and embarking on a trail through Blandford’s wooded preserve to look for some feathered friends flying about in the trees.
Students also had the opportunity to participate in several visual arts projects, including decorating the cover of their personal gardening notebook with images of different plants and food, creating eggshell planters for seeds and starter plants, and creating bird sculptures inspired by the birds they saw on their birdwatching trip.
The Art of Gardening program will culminate in our annual Harvest Party! Students and their families will enjoy a potluck-style dinner using some of the crops grown in class before taking a tour of the gardens.
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