11-1SG Green Artists League
Grant Round:
2011 February
Grant Program:
Small Grants
Grant Type:
Other Grants
Grant amount requested:
2,500.00
Grant amount awarded:
$1,500.00
Attachments
Please provide a brief description of the project for which you seek funding.
The Alchemical Garden is a multi-year, community art project of the Green Artists League( GAL) that is transforming a contaminated field of weeds on the NewburyportClipper City Rail Trail into an eco-art park and public permaculture garden. The project will include educational workshops, interactive community art performances and will ultimately feature artfully designed and constructed footpaths, seating areas, arches, a living, basket willow pavilion, a rain catchment pavilion and sculpture made from live plants, recycled materials and benign industrial refuse. The artwork will be complimented by edible fruits, berries and plants for users of the Trail.
The focus for 2011 will be on plant maintenance, cultivating and forming the living sculptures and pavilion and the Remediation Crop Cirlce and Field project. As the Alchemical Garden is located on the City Rail Trail that runs through an industrial park, Remediation Crop Circles and Field will literally turn "lead into gold" by planting wheat and sunflowers that will act as hyper-accumulators to pull out lead and arsenic from the mildly contaminated soil( city soil tests determined contamination is just below reportable levels) left from 19th and 20th century rail and industry. Test sites will be identified and monitored throughout several growing seasons to document and track the effectiveness of the soil remediation efforts. As GAL is dedicated to eco arts education and cultivating community, there will be visually compelling educational signage explaining phytoremediation and permaculture, and multiple, participatory, community performances centered on the wheat planting and harvest, and culminating in a procession of the wheat harvest to a nearby community garden earth oven where the community will bake bread to share with each other and the local food pantry.
The Alchemical Garden is one of GAL's Articulture projects where GAL artists "embed" in the community to cultivate sustainable relationships and "GALvanize Eco-responsibillity". Seeing an opportunity to turn an under utillized section of the rail trail into an eco-educational opportunity and permaculture art park, GAL made a proposal to the city of Newburyport to create the Alchemical Garden on the city's land. Newburyport had partnered with GAL in writing a succesful grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts in 2010 that allowed GAL to proceed. Unfortunately, the city does not have money to give this year and GAL is dependent on volanteer support and local donations and grants to realize this project.
Thanks to the the New England Foundation for the Arts grant, GAL has conditioned the soil, planted fruit trees and berries and created several living art sculptures made basket willows, birches, and grasses. Our request for NEGEF funding will go towards establishing the plantings, educational signage and outreach and our Crop Circles/Remediation Field project.
Further development for 2011 on other aspects of the Alchemical garden are funding dependent. It is GAL's goal to have all phases of the Alchemical Garden complete by 2012 where the maintence of the garden would be turned over to a volanteer environmental or gardening organization.
Primary Issue Area:
Living Economies
Please break-down/categorize the program expenses:
| Proposed Item | Estimated $ Amount | Would grant funds be used for this item? | Type Of Expense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil preparation for planting | $400.00 | Yes | Materials |
| Equipment rental | $250.00 | Yes | Materials |
| general garden maintenance including replacing dead pear tree | $1,400.00 | Materials | |
| Watering maintenance for wheat field, fruit trees, bushes, living structures | $1,500.00 | Yes | Materials |
| Taxes and bookeeping | $500.00 | Materials | |
| Overhead - administration,project management, web site, | $1,800.00 | Materials | |
| Educational signage on Soil Remediation and Permaculture | $1,500.00 | Materials | |
| Shaping and cultivating Basket Willow pavilion | $400.00 | Materials | |
| Insurance | $500.00 | Materials | |
| 3 participatory community performances and wheat planting and harvest | $1,600.00 | Materials | |
| Soil samples to test progress of soil remediation | $400.00 | Materials | |
| Monthly observations include taking soil samples recording changes in text and photo | $600.00 | Materials | |
| Documentation and Curricula | $750.00 | Materials | |
| Out reach includes press releases, newsletters and expenses for educational brochures | $1,400.00 | Yes | Materials |
Whom does your group need to make this project happen?
Please explain how your group will engage members from your community in this project.
The public is engaged to become co-creators of the Alchemical Garden. GAL has engaged the city of Newburyport, the public schools, local scientists,Transition Town Newbuyrport, Coastal Trails Coalition and other local groups, businesses and individuals to become involved in the Alchemical Garden. Supportive fundraising, workshops, volanteer work opportunities and community interactive performances will give the public to be directly involved in the co-creation of the Alchemical Garden.
Locating the Alchemical Garden in the city industrial park was intended to build bridges in the community between eco-activists, park users, and industry. Engaging different social and political demographics to join in discussion and to collaborate on a common goal is integral to GAL's approach to building environmentally responsible community.Several local businesses have already given GAL fundraisers and more are planned for the future. GAL seeks media attention through press releases and also has a blog where the community will be updated on the project and will be encouraged to offer their insights and comments.GAL is in the process of creating a Facebook Page that will increase outreach.
If your group receives a NEGEF Grow grant, how do you plan to pay for remaining expenses?
| $ Amount | Source |
|---|---|
| $100.00 | NEGEF |
| $250.00 | Individual and business donations,fundraisers |
| $1,000.00 | NEGF donations and local grants |
| $1,200.00 | NEGEF local grants donations |
| $500.00 | private and business donations |
| $1,400.00 | local grants donations |
| $1,500.00 | NEGEF and local grants |
| $400.00 | private and business donations |
| $500.00 | donations and fundraising |
| $1,300.00 | NEGEF, fundraising |
| $400.00 | fundraising |
| $300.00 | NEGEF fundraising |
| $300.00 | NEGEF fundraising |
| $1,000.00 | NEGEF local grants |
Please list these materials or services
| $ Amount | Item |
|---|---|
| $300.00 | volanteer labour (15hrs @$20) |
| $0.00 | |
| $400.00 | volanteer labour (20hrs@$20) |
| $300.00 | volanteer labour (15hrs @$20) |
| $0.00 | |
| $400.00 | volanteer labour (8hours@$50) |
| $0.00 | |
| $0.00 | |
| $0.00 | |
| $300.00 | volunteer labour (15hrs@$20) |
| $0.00 | (possible in kind donation) |
| $300.00 | volanteer labour (10 hrs@$30) |
| $450.00 | volanteer labour (9hrs @$50) |
| $400.00 | materials and Volunteer labour (17hrs@$20) |
Please describe what changes will occur in your community and its environment when your group's project is successful.
The Alchemical Garden is an innovative model for sustainable, interactive public gardens in its use of symbiotic, low maintenance design, organic growing methods, recycled materials, public food source and the incorporating of art and educational elements. The Clipper City Rail Trail has over 10,000 users a year that will have an opportunity to be nourished, educated and inspired by the Alchemical Garden. With the compelling aesthetic, conceptual, and collaborative aspects of this project, the Alchemical Garden will not only build sustainable community relationships, raise awareness of healthy nutrition, green science and innovative environmental solutions, it will also increase understanding and intimacy with nature. Success will be measured by community feedback and the level of volanteer efforts, workshop and performance participation, financial support and a willingness to maintain the garden in the future.
Please list how many people in your community your group expects to actively engage in this project.
10 000
What relevant skills does the group need (but does not currently have access to) to help move the initiative forward?
GAL does not have the ability to test the soil for heavy metals. This will be outsourced.
What relevant skills do current members of the group have to help move the initiative forward?
GAL Artists Erin Stack, Tim Gaudreau, Deb Cinamon Whalen and permaculture consultant Charlotte Dion have skills that include: NOFA organic landscaping certification, permaculture certification, Large scale community art project management, Educator experience kindergarten through graduate school. Construction experience. Community garden management. Photo and video documentation, web design, blog, and other communication skills.