Summer 2016 Posts
Final Weekend, August 6 – 7, 2016
This family enjoyed several of the programs after hiking the trails in record time.
With a final look at my program materials this last weekend, I recall the legacy of David Barr, sculptor and one of the founders of Michigan Legacy Art Park. In walking the trails, I continually uncover new dialogues between each work and sources of meaning in my own life.
As we coast the baselines on our individual journeys, I hope we will tune in to our interdependencies and connectedness through and despite the way we relate to our stories, geography and history. In our diversity, we are all connected. I hope we continue to learn from our natural environment and successfully navigate its challenges. It is my sincere hope that those I met this summer will continue to walk these trails and continue to enrich their lives by what they find.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Today was a rich and busy time at MLAP. Our theme: “Find your Shine Path”
Shine Path #1: Habitat
Last week one of the visitors took a photograph of the inside of a warbler nest he found on the trail. It was lined with the soft wool batting we hung last summer as flags of good intentions and soft sculpture. We aimed to entice birds to use the wool as habitat. And it worked! Yippie! There was some wool left over this summer. So some visitors chose to form it into attractive habitat for the birds back home. This young lady proudly displays her work.
Shine Path #2: Trees
This father and daughter enjoyed the program, “Meet a Tree”. Later, our young lady was inspired to make a poem with nearby poetry stones. Her text: "Tree makes mom".
Shine Path #3: Poetry
This family had fun decorating stones as a warm up.The young lady sent her friend a postcard with a fibonacci counting sequence she learned about at MLAP.
Then, two family members created poems. The metaphor, “Shine Path”, this ten-year-old bard chose has resonated for me ever since.
Text of Poems:
Bees are my star. The joy lets the Shine Path in.
Birds fly. We leap on cool painting mist.
Shine Path #4: Exploring Michigan Legacy Art Park
This family explored many of the programs before “hitting the trails”. Stockade/Labyrinth was a big hit.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Many visitors to Discovery Grove enjoy making poetry by rearranging poetry stones. This summer, we decided to ask folks to contribute their words for new stones by mining their experiences of the park. I gave them some prompts from a list of meaningful concepts as a springboard. I asked them to note the sculptures that inspired their words. Some families made a competitive game to see who would come up with the most descriptive words. Many of the words will make it to new poetry stones next season. This couple remarked that the exercise helped them to slow down and enriched their experience of the park.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Stormy weather limited participation in my programs (only a few brave souls completed a hike through the park before the rain began in earnest). So, I decided to “tailgate” program materials that would be fun to do in the car on the way home.
David Barr, sculptor and one of the founders of Michigan Legacy Art Park, believed that art, nature, and history connect us to place and to each other through diverse webs of interdependencies. Ideas from the Art Park experience can extend to our day-to-day lives. For example, a mom and her daughters were inspired by Patricia Innis’ “Robins” and decided to make a nest in their own woods back home. Several teachers and play groups expressed interest in using and adapting the programs. All of the program materials are available for download at: MLAP Programs for Download
Saturday, July 23, 2016
After touring Michigan Legacy Art Park, many visitors find their creative juices activated. This year we added some “make-and-take” activities. Decorating rocks with metallic markers in peaceful Discovery Grove was sometimes an inducement for completing the trail.
Saturday and Sunday, July 16 - 17, 2016
This young lady was drawn to the story of the Tuskegee Airmen as depicted by "Fallen Comrade". As we talked about why the sculpture shows only a skeleton of a plane and not its outside "skin", her mother reminded her of how people can accomplish great things despite how they look; also the importance of what's inside and about being brave. Her brother enjoyed "Stockade Labyrinth" and was busy exploring his program choice, "Meet a Tree". So glad this family could take the time to consider the stories and meanings of the sculptures.
While the girls completed their visual journals, Mamma took home copies of "Meet a Tree" to share with her neighborhood play group. The family enjoyed "Robins" by Patricia Innis and are excited to return home to make a giant robin's nest in their own woods.
This family was enjoyed the poetry stones and contributed the word "Odyssey" to the words we are collecting this summer.
This family braved the threatening weather to fill in their visual journals and paint some rocks to take home.
Sunday morning brought an ephemeral work that had sprung up overnight in Discovery Grove. This lead to discussions of Eric Troffkin's "Communication Vine"
Summer 2015 Posts
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Programs: "Who am I?" and "Meet a Tree"
This family was inspired by the "Good Intention" flags that I was hanging from past weekend programs. Because the flags will eventually be picked apart by birds for their nests, the family members began stitching theirs in a way that would be convenient for the birds. Thereby, in a highly practical way, they signified their good intentions.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Meditations on Pure Michigan
Threat of lightning and 3 storm systems moving through the area limited time spent meditating. The groups who came through did appreciate having the sculptures marked with rainbow-colored ribbons as they zipped along the trail on an abbreviated visit to the park. The"Meditations" handout included inspiring quotations they could ponder once they were out of the storms.
This was my last program of the summer season. All programs are available for download:MLAP Programs for Download
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Journalling 1. Visual Artists’ Tools. Guests sewed pages into journals and learned how to use visual artist tools for recording their experiences at the park.
Here is a lovely family who joined the workshop after a walk in the park. They were inspired by the rocks along the trail and decided to make their own poetry stones. I don't know what was more fun: the journal-making or the prayer flags of good intentions. The youngest boy really got into drawing in his book as he filled page after page of his rendition of the sculptures. Afterwards, the boys took some Sharpies to some rocks they found and wrote words on them for their own poetry stones. Their parents enjoyed some time to ponder as they stitched their flags. Mamma said, "Since it's for the birds, I can give up my perfectionistic tendencies". I'd say that's a fine intention.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Journalling 2. Recording Experiences. Guests sewed pages into journals and learned 3 ways to write memorable journal entries. They honed their skills for writing postcards.
There's nothing like "repeat business" to know you're onto something. The young man in this photo was so excited about his Visual Journal from the day before that he brought his family back to make the second journal in the series. When I asked him if there was a way to improve the classes, he said, "I want to do things that have something to do with trees." So, I gave him the "Meet a Tree" materials left over from last weekend.
These young ladies enjoyed learning about book binding as they sewed the pages into the covers. Can you believe, folks are still interested in how books are formed? Their mother and brother spent some time exploring interdependencies from David Barr's "Diversity" sculpture (also a favorite of mine). They enjoyed the park on a speedy trip up and down the hills, promising to return soon.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Programs: "Who am I?" and "Meet a Tree"
"Who am I?" focuses attention on sculptures relating to place, story, and play/dreaming/imagination
"Meet a Tree" looks at the sculptures from a tree's perspective. Guests have the chance to develop a relationship with a tree in the park, play green bingo, and explore natural patterns. One young man got to know a maple that was 87 years' old. He sketched its leaves and followed the prompts diligently. His enthusiasm lifted my spirits.
Today, I hung the flags of good intentions from the previous weekend.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
"Meditations on Pure Michigan" was a popular starting point.
The children took clip boards and drawing materials. The young man in the photo was very proud of his. Several adults took the handouts home wanting the time to think more deeply about what they had seen
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Journalling 1. Visual Artists’ Tools. Guests sewed pages into journals and learned how to use visual artist tools for recording their experiences at the park. They expressed their personal connections to the sculptures in the park in their journals and by constructing prayer flags of good intentions.
Budding nature fans, Max and Samantha made short work of constructing their journals in order to focus on transforming 2D, blank prayer flags made out of wool batting into 3D sculptures. Their "good intention" was to create tempting habitat for birds and a caterpillar Samantha saw on the trail. (I will attach a photo of their work when it is hung next weekend)
Local artist and educator, Eileen Millard, was inspired by the sculpture, Table and Chairs No. 3 by Nolan Simon. She wrote the following poem in her journal:
“Abandon sitting at your table.
Break away to bird song and the buzzing of bees.
Adapt to quiet stillness, to peacefulness.
Notice light and shadow playing across brown leaves of Fall and green newness.
Delve deeper into Earth's sloping land.
Only hear the wind
Now”
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Journalling 2: Recording Experiences. Guests sewed pages into journals and learned 3 ways to write memorable journal entries. They honed their skills for writing postcards. They also had an opportunity to express their dreams or "good intentions" as prayer flags.
A lovely couple from Traverse City joined the workshop after walking the trails. He was inspired by Stockade Labyrinth by David Barr. He recalled his experiences building forts as a child and the dreams they engendered. He framed his response to Barr's sculpture in light of the challenges he later faced as an adult. He said, “That labyrinth design is a good one, more defensible because the enemy would be slowed after breaking through the outside shell.” His good intention: “Maybe it’s time to dream again.”
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