In the early 21stcentury, students in American public schools are rarely given the opportunity to explore and develop their sense of place beyond the four walls of a classroom buzzing with fluorescent lighting. Our school garden explores eco-art curriculum (environmental learning through art integration) as a means of increasing awareness of and engagement with everyday constructed and natural places. Drawing from the discourses of site-specific pedagogy and project-based education, since 2010 we have worked to transform our teaching practice into a living classroom, a place for students to make a community-based sculpture garden. We began this process attempting to bring nature to our urban students and to discover new ways for our students to create art about nature inside and outside of the classroom. We discovered new ways of teaching eco-art by asking students to think about their local ecology and promote environmental social justice. Our school provides our local neighborhood community with opportunities to learn about recycling and waste with our annual "Spring Clean and Green Event." We also offer a community workshop to teach gardening skills to promote healthy eating habits. As our garden evolves, so do our funding needs. Your donations will go to replacing maintenance tools, installing an irrigation system, shaded seating, and new vegetable and fruit trees for our summer growing season.
