I was spending a lot of time in gardens over the summer, and some in school gardens. I’m always on the lookout for ideas about how art can be incorporated into school yards as I think it’s a great tool to raise environmental awareness and even bring about environmental change. There is lots of experimentation going on in Toronto in this area, and it is exciting to find a new artwork in a schoolyard to support student learning. If you’re looking for ideas in this regard, Pinterest has lots of ideas in visual forms. You can also refer to a great book called Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation by Sharon Gamson Danks (published by newvillagepress). Sharon is a Californian consultant on schoolyard greening, and has travelled around the world photographing amazing schoolyard designs. While any aspect of a greening project could be considered a form of aesthetic design, from the pathways to the plantings to the play equipment, she has included a few chapters dedicated to the diverse and stimulating roles that art can play to enhance children’s ecological literacy.   Check out the gallery on my website for more ideas on this topic.
