In memory of the lives that were lost, saved, and changed forever in the attacks on September 11, 2001, here is a review of Bill Thompson’s recently published book, From Memory to Memorial: Shanksville, America, and Flight 93. Thank you, Lisa Horne, for this review
(more…)Healing Landscapes
Vincent van Gogh’s restorative landscapes
August 1, 2013
From van Gogh’s ‘Iris’ series, painted at the Asylum of Saint Paul de Mausole in Saint-Rémy, France, 1889.
Vincent van Gogh painted his famous “Iris” series at the Asylum of Saint Paul de Mausole in Saint-Rémy, France, in 1889. Allowed to roam the asylum ’s grounds, van Gogh wrote in a letter to his brother, Theo, “When I send you the four canvases of the garden. . .you ’ll see that considering that life happens above all in the garden, it isn ’t so sad.” In a letter to his mother and sister he wrote, “But precisely for one ’s health, as you say—it ’s very necessary to work in the garden and to see the flowers growing.”
From Van Gogh, Vincent. 2009. Vincent van Gogh–The Letters: The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition. Edited by Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten, Nienke Bakker of the Van Gogh Museum in association with the Huygens Institute. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. Letters 776 and 889 retrieved from http://www.vangoghletters.org/vg/letters.html on May 8, 2013.
Memorial gardens breathe new life into communities
July 31, 2012
For days after the Cafe Racer shooting, grief-stricken Seattleites made their way to the building with flowers, candles, and gifts. Photos by Filiz Satir
Guest post by Filiz Satir
On May 30, 2012, a disgruntled Seattle man opened fire inside Seattle’s Café Racer, eventually killing four of the five people he shot. Later that day, the gunman made his way to Seattle’s First Hill where he shot and killed a Seattle woman and stole her vehicle. Hours later, he fatally shot himself.
For days after the May 30 shooting in Seattle that took the lives of four Café Racer patrons, grieving friends, family, and strangers made pilgrimage to the lime green and gray brick building. Floral bouquets, a foot deep, blanketed the length of the building. Taped notes and letters, poems and drawings covered the windows and doors. Artists and musicians held day processions and evening vigils to remember their friends.
Friends, family, and neighbors turned Racer Cafe’s exterior and parking strips into a makeshift memorial.
Daily memorializing and nightly rituals were a spontaneous, necessary, and natural way for a community to express its grief and pay respects to five individuals who were gunned down inside the Seattle café and performance venue. What happened in the University District that May morning was random, brutal, and utterly senseless. There are no words to adequately describe the shooting deaths or the depth of pain caused by this act of violence. For the community, the healing process will be ongoing. For those closest to the deceased, recovering will be a life-long endeavor.
How does a community and, in particular, the friends and family of Café Racer victims recover from the horror of multiple shooting deaths? Perhaps the wisdom of conservationist and author Rachel Carson gives us a place to start. In The Sense of Wonder, Carson writes:
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
Nature and Well-Being: Lecture series at the Bloedel Reserve
June 8, 2012
Reflecting pool, Bloedel Reserve. Photo by Henry Domke, www.henrydomke.com
During June, Puget Sound’s Bloedel Reserve will put the spotlight on nature and well-being by hosting a series of lectures. Throughout the month, experts from diverse disciplines will explore the unique relationship between nature and humans, and the healing and therapeutic qualities of landscapes and gardens.
Our founder Prentice Bloedel was fascinated with the relationship between people and plants, often writing eloquently on the subject, as he designed the gardens and landscapes of The Reserve. In June, we are bringing together experts from many disciplines to explore the unique relationship between nature and humans, and the healing and therapeutic qualities of landscapes and gardens.
The Bloedel Reserve is a public treasure that sits on 150 acres of natural woodlands and landscaped gardens just a short ferry ride away from downtown Seattle. In addition to interconnected paths, a Japanese garden, a moss garden, and a reflection pool, visitors will find the Bloedel’s former estate home. The Reserve was created by Prentice and Virginia Bloedel who resided on the property from 1951 until 1986. A man ahead of his time, Prentice Bloedel had an abiding interest in the relationship between people and the natural world. The primary mission of The Reserve is to provide a tranquil, restorative and emotionally evocative experience of nature.
See this past Guest TLN Blog Post by Sally Schauman for more on The Bloedel Reserve as a Therapeutic Landscape.
For more information on this month’s Lecture Series, visit The Bloedel Reserve web site. Summer hours are extended for June, July and August: Tuesday and Wednesday, 10am-4pm; Thursday through Sunday, 10am-7pm. A short description of the lecture series follow. For a complete description of the talks and other classes at The Reserve, see the summer bulletin. To register for all the lectures that range from $10 to $15 per session, call 206-842-7631, or click on the Brown Paper Tickets.
The Bloedel Reserve Lecture Series for June is as follows:
Friday, June 8 at 4:30pm
Every Step a Healing Step (lecture & guided meditative walk)
Carolyn Scott Kortge, author, The Spirited Walker & Healing Walks for Hard Times
Sunday, June 10 at 2:00pm
The Restorative Power of Plants
Patty Cassidy, RHT, Horticultural Therapist & Gardener for Legacy Health Systems, Portland
Wednesday, June 13 at 10:00am
Healing Garden Designs
Daniel Winterbottom, RLA, FASLA, professor, Landscape Architecture, University of Washington
Thursday, June 14 at 2:00pm
Landscaping for Privacy: Innovative Ways to Turn Your Outdoor Space into a Peaceful Retreat
Marty Wingate, author & garden designer
Saturday, June 16 at 4:30pm
Therapeutic Design Adaptations for the Home Garden
Mark Epstein, registered landscape architect
Sunday, June 17 at 4:30pm
Art in Nature: The Therapeutic Effects of Nature Photography-A Personal Story
Charles Needle, photographer
Tuesday, June 19 at 10:00am
Leave No Child Inside: Reconnecting Children with Nature
Martin LeBlanc, founder, Children & Nature Network; Sr. VP, Islandwood
Friday, June 29 at 7:30pm
“Echoes of Creation” (Video screening & talk)
Jan Nickman, film & television director & cinematographer
Saturday, June 30 at 3:00pm
Restoration & Celebration — The Created World Around Us (lecture & guided meditative walk)
Christie Lynk, professor of psychology, Seattle University
‘Healing Landscapes’ is this year’s topic at Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Sustainability Symposium
January 28, 2011
Next weekend, on Friday and Saturday February 4-5, the Cleveland Botanical Garden will hold it’s 6th annual Sustainability Symposium, and the topic this year is “Healing Spaces.” The Symposium, geared toward landscape professionals and home gardeners, will feature an action-packed and continuing-education-credit-filled roster of speakers.
Friday’s keynote speaker is renowned landscape architect David Kamp, founding principal of Dirtworks Landscape Architecture, PC. David will speak about “Collaboration in the Garden: Creating Restorative Environments.” David/Dirtworks designed the beautiful and Elizabeth and Nona Evans Restorative Garden at the CBG, and I’m sure he will talk about the design process in his keynote address. Dirtworks, based in New York City, is a member of the TLN’s Designers and Consultants Directory.
Saturday’s keynote speaker is Naomi Sachs, founding Director of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network and principal at Naomi Sachs Design. The title of her (my) talk is “Green Healing: Landscapes for Health and Well-Being.”
Other speakers for Friday and Saturday (see program for details) include
- Landscape artist David Slawson on “The Art of Evoking the Natural World in Restorative Gardens.”
- Cleveland Botanical Garden Glasshouse Specialist Joe Mehalik on “Water in the Garden.”
- Western Reserve Herb Society’s Carolyn Borsini on “Sustaining Ourselves and Others with Herbs.”
- Cleveland Botanical Garden Director of Horticulture Cynthia Druckenbrod on “Bringing Butterflies to Your Yard.”
- Amy Roskilly, Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District Conservation Education Coordinator, on “Rain Gardens as Environmental Protection.”
- And a member of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority on “Planting a Vision, Growing a Community: the Future of Public Housing.”
Hope to see you there!