A Living Library itself is an art work—our founder, Bonnie Ora Sherk, has made her career by transforming public urban spaces into more human-friendly, ecological habitats. (See video of her talk at Mills College Art Museum in a previous blog post!)
Our A.L.L. Garden / Ecology / Multi-Arts / Literacy / Nutrition Teachers emphasize to students the importance of creating art and transforming our environment and ourselves through art. For instance, students learned about the usefulness of scientific illustration to communicate knowledge visually. A.L.L. Teacher, Cecilia Frisardi conducted a lesson at the OMI/Excelsior Living Library & Think Park in flower anatomy which included dissection and illustration.
Students dissecting and illustrating flowers
(flowers were generously donated by J. Fregosi & Sons Florist)
Aaliyah, age 15
Sofia, age 12
We encourage children of all ages to tap into their creativity— A.L.L. Teacher Susan Meyer has been working with her younger students to create some installation pieces for the Upper Garden Orchard and Redwood Circle Learning Zones.
Teachers and students at A Living Library work every day to continually transform our environments into welcoming, enriching, and collaborative spaces.