The Art of Nature
Paying students to grow and maintain a garden while mentoring neighborood kids and creating art!
Leader
Brittainy Quinn
Location
257 East 156th Street Cleveland, OH 44110
About the project
What:
The Collinwood Friends Garden, established 2011, is a green space in the city of Cleveland where community members are able to garden for free. There is a lot of maintenance and education involved in reducing ones' carbon footprint. In 2017, they were able to pay students to learn, help out and even create public art while doing it thanks to a grant from the Cleveland Climate Action Fund. We hope to use our successes from last year as a jumping off point to an even bigger and better summer program for 2018.
Who:
Brittainy Quinn, Interdisciplinary Arts Program Coordinator at Cleveland School of the Arts and garden co-founder, will lead the program. Up to eight students from Cleveland School of the Arts will be paid to be apart of the program, and will mentor up to eight neighborhood youth. Ohio State University Extension will supply vegetable plants, seeds, and science education. Brittainy will provide art education.
Where:
The Collinwood Friends Garden is located at 257 East 156th street. Part of our funding will go towards securing a vacant store front across the street from the garden to provide a safe, sheltered classroom space. We'll be able to have shelter from the elements, a bathroom, and a place to try some cooking!
We also hope to purchase a battery powered lawn mower, lessoning our effects on the envronment using a gas powered one and saving money by not having to pay someone to do it- Rather he will teach the kids how to do it themselves! The classroom will be a secure place to store this throughout the year.
When:
Students will start seeds afterschool with Brittainy in March and the summer program will begin Wednesday June 6th. We will meet every Wednesday from 10am-2pm until school resumes. They will continue to meet afterschool until the growing season ends.
Why:
The best way for kids to understand healthy living (for both them and the environment) is to learn and practice first hand. It also provides an opportunity to learn science, work as a team, form bonds within the community, and reduce their carbon footprint. The garden lets kids be creative and know what it means to make a difference. Fixing up the storefront will give them a sense of ownership and vision that they can turn something empty into something usable and positive. Besides earning money, high school students will also be eligible for Flex Credit for their transcripts.
The Steps
March: sign lease for storefront, begin fixing up. Start seeds afterschool and maintain in the classroom until school lets out.
June-August: Onsite learning at the garden & storefront.
Mid August- Mid October: Biweekly after school meetings on site to harvest, donate produce and put the garden to bed.
November-March- use storefront as tool storage and as an office to plan / grant write for 2019 summer and storage for garden supplies. We could also rent the space to others for community workshops during this down time.
Why we‘re doing it
We're doing this because it is the right thing to do.
Kids will have a fun place to go and learn, build community and earn money. Our little section of East 156th will continue to shine and breathe new life into the vacant storefront (one of many that trickle down East 156).
With your support, we will have the opportunity to teach kids that dinner can come from the earth for free instead of the corner store.
They will know how to coexist with our climate in a productive and positive way.
They will know how to revitalize blight.
They will know how to work together.
They will know how to express themselves through art.
They will know how to make positive decisions.