Art as a Transformative Environmental Education Process: A Participatory Community and Systems Based Approach to Place Based Eco

My name is Zeratha Young and I am a graduate student through Goddard College’s ‘Socially Responsible Business and Sustainable Communities’ program. My area of focus is the nexxus of whole systems design, ecological art, and participatory sustainable development. Currently I am working on a thesis project which will result in a participatory public ecological art restoration installation’. The installation itself will serve as a visual, interactive, educational, restoration focused whole systems map of the Portland area bioregion. This will include components of social, natural and economic systems and capital and will serve much like an educational park as a destination. It is titled: Art as a Transformative Environmental Education Process: A Participatory Community and Systems Based Approach to Place Based Ecological Art Installations and Restorations.”

*Please see the attached project proposal for further information and details. Also if you would like to see the design and layout send me an email and I will get that to you. I am also open to making presentations about the installation and the theory as well as the main concepts/language involved.

Currently in this process I am seeking collaborators from the community at large, non-profit organizations, businesses, artists, students, educators, restoration ecologists, permaculturalists, designers and others who may be interested in being involved. The project will hopefully be put into motion this coming Spring of 2009, most likely during the month of May so that plantings done as part of the project will thrive and so that there will (hopefully) be good weather. I am seeking involvement from all sectors of the community as every step of the project will be inclusive and participatory including the action research component, the design and the actual construction of the artistic and ecological components.

I am writing to you because I feel that you and/or your organization might be interested in becoming involved in this project. I believe that this could be a rewarding and beneficial experience for both you and/or your organization, the community at large and myself as the project coordinator. Some of the specific things I am seeking in the community:

*Feedback (especially on community spaces to locate the installation), ideas, input, collaboration
*Volunteers, interns
*Donations (native plants, cob materials, other hardware, applicable materials)
*Support
*Research and Design Collaboration
*Speakers, musicians, artists, videographers for the day of the event
*Restoration ecologists, permaculturalists, others with applicable skills or a interest in the subject

Benefits for you and/or your organization might include:

*Publicity for Your Organization and/or Yourself
*An Educational, Inspiring and Creative Experience which benefits the
community and ecosystem of installation placement
*The chance to create and build new strategic networks and relationships
*An opportunity to directly or indirectly participate in a project that serves multiple functions:
-community building
-artistic/creative opportunity
-restoration, planting, permaculture
-education
-networking, relationship building

I would love to meet with you and start a conversation…
Feel free to email (mooglicious@gmail.com)
Sincerely,
Zeratha Young