Tending to a Garden within the Pavement

Chris's early thoughts for the Papermaker's Garden

(This is a re-creation of my first blog post that I somehow deleted by accident, hitting "save" now...)

Averaged responses to the Place Game questionnaire, wherein 1 is excellent, 2 is fair, 3 is poor

Comfort & Image= 2.25

Access & Linkages=1.25

Uses & Activities=2.25

Sociability=1.75

More questions....

1. What do you like best about this place?

I like that it exists at all, that someone took the time and energy to create a garden in an empty lot.  I like that Columbia was willing to devote this piece of prime real estate to be a garden.  Although wouldn't have been better for Columbia to sell the land so someone could put up another 7/11, not enough of those around...just kidding of course!  I also like the sheer size of the space, lots of potential for events.

2. List three things that you would do to improve this place that could be done right away and that wouldn’t cost a lot:

take down the fence

more (any) rain barrels

more raised beds

also ...maybe a birdhouse/feeder (maybe one that is too small for pigeons?) beehive, more flowers to feed bees (and bring joy)

maybe take down separator between garden and bike racks (don't people lock up bikes?  why do bike racks need to be fenced in), maybe leave up some of the back fences to expand the photo/art installations

I really like all the busted off bike reflectors on the fences, would like to see that expanded, and broadened to include any number of otherwise non-recyclable but kinda pretty hang-able stuff, like bottle caps, empty cigarette lighters, mardi gras beads, torn cloth, scratched cds....

3. What three changes would you make in the long term that would have the biggest impact?

More benches and poles for hammock installations, maybe a gazebo

Access to running water on site, for thirsty plants and people

dig out some sections of the many feet deep gravel to foster some bigger plants whose roots run deeper

4. Ask someone who is in the “place” what they like about it and what they would do to improve it. Their answer:

Yikes!!  I forgot to ask anyone when I was on-site!  Sorry!!

I did take a bunch of pictures.  I got a lot of dirty/confused looks from folks while doing so, as if they could not imagine why anyone would take pictures of such an unremarkable locale--and so, they seemed to presume that I was taking pictures of them.

Also, there really wasn't anyone "in" this place, only folks walking by it, none of whom seemed remotely curious about the place, despite the fact that it is the only urban garden in the vicinity.

5. What local partnerships or local talent can you identify that could help implement some of your proposed improvements? Please be as specific as possible.

Columbia grounds department, Columbia recycling department, Roots (Columbia student organization focused on gardening), maybe the CTA and whoever they have been partnering with for their public art installations, Chicago Honey Co-op (for bees), rooftop/urban garden experts, the handful of biology/ecology faculty at Columbia, whoever owns the parking lots adjacent to the space,  local mystics who can invite back in, have a special affinity with, ability to communicate with and for, ability to foster mating and reproduction of, and encourage joy (rather than displeasure) amongst whatever local fairies, elves, gnomes, plant devas, and other nature spirits who can enliven this space with the magic of life....

And now for some pictures....

Here we are, we can see the soil, but can't our hands dirty

tiny tulips!  its been a cool spring, so still some time before the blossoms bring joy

a little different angle

northwest (back) corner

north side

from the back, lots of space

photos and reflectors in the adjacent bike rack area

way far southwest corner, so much space!

biophilia?

front view from the street, when plants on the sidewalk leaf out
 the Garden won't be a visible...
a big beautiful sign or mural or mosaic could help....

Place Game - Justin

Justin Botz

       

Evaluate the place:

Attractive:2

Feels Safe 2

Clean/well maintained3

Feels reflective and restorative 3

Comfort and Image Average Rating 2.5

ACCESS AND LINKAGE

Identifiable from a distance2

“Walkable” 1

Accessible by transit 2

Clear information/signage 3

Access and Linkage average rating:2

USES AND ACTIVITIES

Comfortable places to sit 2

Frequent community events/activities 3

Area is busy 2

Variety of things to do 3

Uses and Activities average rating   2.5

SOCIABILITY

People in groups 3

Evidence of volunteerism 2

Sense of pride and ownership 2

Children and Seniors are present 3

Sociability average rating 10

IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES

1.     What do you like best about this place? I love the location. It is right on wabash in the south loop. There is a bit of foot traffic that goes by. The space is very open so anyone walking by can easily see the work being done in the paper makers garden. The space is pretty large and could host events with a good number of people. I feel like its a space with a lot of potential and I know there are a number of people in the interdisciplinary arts department interested in making use of the space.

2.     List three things that you would do to improve this place that could be done right away and that wouldn’t cost a lot:  1. put up some signage to let people know what the space is. 2. put in a few more trash/recycling receptacles.  3. Plan a community event that would fill the space and bring the community together.

3.     What three changes would you make in the long term that would have the biggest impact?

1. I think creating more consistent programming for the space could have a tremendously positive impact on the space and the local community.

2.  I think taking more advantage of the space in the paper makers garden would have long term value. Right now there are only a few flower beds and a lot of open space. Should we fill the space with more flower beds or add more benches for sitting? I’m not sure but making a decision either way would allow for some long term impact.

3. Perhaps expand the idea of the paper makers garden to a community garden. There could be a section for paper and a section for vegetables. This doesn’t have to be the case but I thought perhaps a community garden might provide more opportunity for community involvement then having it strictly for paper making.

4.     Ask someone who is in the “place what they like about it and what they would do to improve it Their Answer:  Amanda: It’s an interesting space but I’m not sure what purpose it is supposed to have and what relationship it’s supposed to have to the public. I would make that clearer.

5.     What local partnerships or local talent can you identify that could help implement some of your proposed improvements? Please be as specific as possible.

1. Center for Book and Paper arts

2. Columbia College.

3. South loop alliance

4. Overflow coffee shop (Coffee shop that is interested in activism)

5. Daystar Center (south loop community center)

6. Alex Borgen

7. Stephen De Santis

The Place Game - Jillian's Responses

Place Game Scores:

Comfort and Image: 2

Access and Linkages: 2

Users and Activities: 3

Sociability: 1.75

1. What do you like best about this place?

I like the location of this place.  Not too crowded by tall buildings, it is a very sunny and open space considering its location is smack in the middle of an urban environment. Situated in the middle of campus and the Wabash Arts Corridor, the garden sees a lot of foot traffic.  Working in the garden during the summer, passer-bys always stop to ask questions about the space and about hand papermaking.  People are surprised to learn that paper can be made from plants and many want to know how they can get involved.  Unfortunately, being that it is a campus space, the garden remains inaccessible to non-Columbians. On the flip side, our neighbors and visitors are seem happy with the fact that we are doing something to liven the empty lot.  It is at least (for now) enjoyable to look at…and will be much more so come this summer when Phase 2 construction begins.

2. List three things that you would do to improve this place that could be done right away and that wouldn’t cost a lot:

- Find extra furniture around school (preferably park benches or picnic tables) and place in the lot to fill the space

- tear down fence (though the school would absolutely not approve this) or plant ivy to run up the back fences

- place student sculpture artwork in the lot

3. What three changes would you make in the long term that would have the biggest impact?

- advance the landscaping; expanding/growing a bigger garden; planting trees

- making the space accessible to everyone at Columbia and perhaps the general public

- adding classes to curriculum that take place in the garden

4. Ask someone who is in the “place” what they like about it and what they would do to improve it? Their answer:

“It’s amazing that it’s student founded and it’s really cool if it’s really being used for material, but yeah it’s not very pretty but I know that’s because of winter.”

5. What local partnerships or local talent can you identify that could help implement some of your proposed improvements?

Through/at Columbia: Campus Facilities, Campus Recycling, Student Initiatives, Student Organizations, Student Artists at-large, science classes

Local partnerships: Wabash Arts Corridor, Hilton Hotel, Chicago CTA, Caribou coffee, Buddy Guys (could we host an evening of outdoor music?), City of Chicago (parks and rec.?), local gardening centers, South Loop community organizations

Get to know ya space - Megan

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GET TO KNOW YA SPACE

Comfort & Image

3  Attractive

2  Feels Safe

2  Clean/well maintained

3  Feels reflective and restorative

Average 2.5

Access & Linkages

2  Identifiable from a distance

1  Walkable

1  Accessible by transit

3  Clear information/signage

Average  1.75

Uses & Activities

2  Comfortable places to sit

2  Frequent community events/activities

1  Area is busy

3  Variety of things to do

Average 2

Sociability

3  People in groups

2  Evidence of volunteerism

2  Sense of pride and ownership

3  Children and seniors are present

Average 2.5

1.  What do you like best about this place?

I like how it became the Paper maker’s garden.  As it was becoming that, I heard about it a lot.  The name made me think of paper turning into plants and plants turning into paper.  Then, I watched as it was becoming a garden.  I enjoyed seeing the work progress.

2.  List three things that you would do to improve this place that could be done right away and that wouldn’t cost a lot:

- add more natural wood (it gives a grounding contrast to the metal fence) and if larger branches could be found, they could also serve as sitting spots

- paint some of the rocks.  Literally painting the rocks (even subtle colors) could turn them into a beautiful and intriguing landscape.  I have also seen paper pulp “painted” onto the rocks.  That was lovely.

- have music in the space some days, preferably live

3.  What three changes would you make in the long term that would have the biggest impact?

-  Build more involvement in the location.  This is two fold, you have to invest in the space to make people want to be there and then reach out to student groups to hold events there.  Having more people in the space informs how the space can continue to support community.

- keep on the public relations.  Small informational cards should be distributed around campus about it’s current state and function.  Knowing what the thing is makes it friendly and interesting.

- design the space.  The fence walls need to be beautified in some way, preferably with living plant stuffs, but even with natural fibers or the like.  There should be areas of the space identified for specific purpose – sitting, performing or exercise.

 

4.  As someone who is in the “place” what they like about it and what they would do to improve it. 

“I didn’t even know it was there.  I never thought about it. . . make it more obvious?”

5.  What local partnerships or local talent can you identify that could help implement some of your proposed improvements?  Please be as specific as possible.

Student body – there is a lot of turn over, but if there was more support from student organizations or another department, that would help a lot!  Unfortunately, I can imagine the more people who get involved, equals that many more opinions on what to do with the space.

Chicago Public Performance (Permit?) – I know that musicians need to have an approved permit of sorts to perform in the subways and such.  Could the school work to have this space as a possible venue?  It could be for students only, but if it was accessible enough, it could be opened up as a money making opportunity for small scale musicians.

Community  -  if there was going to be painting or pulping of the rocks, I could see putting a call out for recycled paint or paper.  There could be drop off times at the site and information for people passing.  We could approach local businesses and arrange for pick up days from their stores.  We could place a thank you on their window or even take out an add in the paper thanking all of the local businesses that supported the site. 

MORE:  The number one thing that I have been noticing about this site is that different groups want very different things for the area depending on their interests.  I haven’t seen a land grab type of thing happening (yet), but as we look to community investment I think it is important to have some idea of the future of the site.  I know that it will be re-designed over the summer.  I wonder what that means. 

On the positive side, I have seen a willingness of students to pitch in no matter what the site becomes.  They feel very happy that any piece of property on our campus is being improved.  There is so much drab in the place of our campus and every little bit of energetic life is felt. 

Transparency, Collaboration & The Papermakers Garden - Heather

Heather Buechler

Firstly, I will address the Place Game, which I will then follow by a list of comments/questions/concerns in no particular order in order to externalize the thoughts that run through my head in regards to garden.

1. Comfort & Image: 2.5

2. Access & Linkage: 1.75

3. Uses & Activities: 2.5

4. Sociability: 2.75

1. What do you like best about this place?

It's potential.

2. List three things that you would do right away to improve this place that could be done right away and wouldn't cost a lot?

-Beautification: planting vines, trellicing flowers, something to brighten up the fence and help the space stand out. At this juncture, the space itself isn't really visible amidst cement streets, cement sidewalks, parking lots, and a gravel bike garage next door. 

Beyond being an eyesore, the fence poses another area of concern in regards to the space. The locked gate and chainlink fence suggest a space that is controlled. Who is controlling it? Who pulls the shots? It's relatively dormant, not really used by the student body (regardless of season) and various suggestions are dismissed because of needing to clear the proper people...how to we find the proper channels to activate the space? 

-Somewhere to sit, even if behind the locked gate. Just a bench, or an old table and chairs, somewhere to meet for coffee. In a community garden where I used to work, there was a wooden reclaimed bench with an awning that had plants growing all up it. It was the best since I worked in a basement shop and didn't see the sun any other time of day, especially in early spring and late fall. The seating made it a destination, even if I wasn't the one gardening in it.

-Better signage. The present sign doesn't really feel like it does much for the space. It outlines the purpose of the space, but really doesn't allow me to connect with the space. Maybe have an annual listing of the plants being planted and what type of material they contribute to the space and where they are located? A way to know what is going on in those plots more that just a mission statement. It's all well and good to have a mission, but the mission needs to feel like it is an active one. If it's winter and things are just hangin' out like they do in the Midwest, tell us. Maybe...an idea.

3. What three changes would you make in the long term that would have the biggest impact?

-I think all of the previous suggestions for sure. Beautification, which requires constant participation from a community, which is, in turn activating the space. A compost system for sure, which really, you can teach people to compost properly, and learn a lot about so much that could fuel some people's artmaking (look at the suggestions you provided, it's a scientific process, ripe with its own potential). 

-Collaborating more with the student body. 

-If there is going to be that large open space without beds, putting in a supply shed for maintaining the lot, allowing the site to be called on as an inspiration for installations, creating a calendar of events surrounding the space that ideally would be events to contibute to a larger discourse about urban sustainability efforts, how these efforts are integrated into contemporary art practice, etc. etc.

-In regards to it being connected to the papermaking process, the extra space could be utilized for an outdoor papermaking workshop, using the mould method for drying the sheets. While they were drying it'd be a temporary installation that also was informative. 

4. Ask someone who is in the "place" what they like about it and what they would do to improve it.

-I don't really know what's going on there. Maybe clean it up a bit? 

5. What local partnerships or local talent can you identify that could help implement some of your proposed improvements? Please be as specific as possible. 

-Local urban gardening organizations. People who have navigated permits and regulations for similar projects (sure, it's for paper, but it's still a reap and sow situation!). Peterson Garden Project on the -North Side is incredible. They've continue to reclaim vacant lots and turn them into community gardens and offer a variety of classes on urban gardening from the urban chicken, to apiaries, to the traditional square-foot method. Their system involved education and collaboration and continues to grow. I've attached a link to their website below. 

-Local papermakers.

-Students.

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What follows here is an expository writing about the space after visiting it. It lists various concerns and questions and some suggestions that may be redundant:

How do we look at the space?

How do we identify with it?

How does the school identify it within the institution?

Answering these questions could better help us assess both how to activate the space without stepping on any toes (a sentiment that seems counter to any ‘guerilla’ gardening activity).  An obvious obstacle for a student wishing to engage with or build on the foundation of the HPGarden seems to come from navigating a bureaucratic process that isn’t transparent to us.

How is the success of the garden affected by its dependency on other organizations?

I’m not familiar with where the garden currently stands in the program; I hear murmurs of the potential for more funding that funding equals success. There’s the bubble bubble of excitement with the prospect of launching a second phase. All well and good but where do we find out more?

How do we communicate to the student body about the current standing of the garden? How can there be more transparency for interested parties?

-E-Newsletters

-Blog

-Meetings

There seems to be potential in partnering up with other urban agrarian movements within the city, other groups and organizations.

Why are we doing this garden? Why put edibles in it? You can’t feed the school on that plot obviously.

What about all that space? Why aren’t we using the space?

What are other plants that could be planted? What sort of agricultural models could we look to? Are we using the best plants for this situation? Why not plant rye or corn one year? That would yield something more encouraging for papermaking rather than marigolds-perhaps the floral plants would be better suited to pots on the peripherally to make the over-all presence of the space less grey. 

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Links

City of Chicago Urban Agriculture FAQ

Peterson Garden Project

Greennet Chicago

Rebuilding Exchange 

Guerilla Gardening

Place game - Cristina

       

 

The potential of the open space. Also the 
fact that it promotes a sustainable art 
practice.

•  add places to sit, the seats could be made of discarded 
tree logs so they can also serve as a table 
surface
• get rid of the locked door 
• have regular clean up days, so there is not so much trash and debris left lying on the ground in the garden  

 

•  turn it into a zen rock garden
• if the chain link fence can't be changed then I would suggest adding fabric or some type 
of plant covering like moss or ivy,  I would suggest covering three sides so as to 
better emphasize the entrance
• create a better entrance, get rid of key code locked door so the space becomes more open and welcoming to those who want a space to relax or escape 
into

"In theory it is a good idea but as it is forgettable and in the winter looks depressing.
Get rid of the fencing."

I think the students of Columbia College could be better utilized to maintain the space. I would propose a class for each semester that the students would maintain the rock garden. It could be an 8-10 person class and each month a pair of the students would be responsible for the garden design and upkeep.

Nationalities and Wages in a Congested District of Chicago

Hull-House maps and papers, a presentation of nationalities and wages in a congested district of Chicago, together with comments and essays on problems growing out of the social conditions is the title of a book of research conducted by Florence Kelly and her colleagues in 1893, published in 1895. I found a selection of the maps at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum and thought I would share some of my snapshots with you.

The boundaries of the district where Kelly gathered data extended from Polk to 12th & Pacific to State. This overlooks the location of the Papermaker's Garden, 8th and Wabash, by just a block. Though our spot is not represented precisely in the district surveyed, there is still useful information about nearby areas around the college. If you look closely at the images you can see Dearborn Station to the north. 12th Street is present day Roosevelt Ave.

I do not know how the districts were arranged at that time and the property numbers are confounding. Luckily, the college archivist at Columbia has been quite helpful to point me to some resources about Chicago history. I will write more about that in a later post.

To see the maps in more detail, go to http://homicide.northwestern.edu/pubs/hullhouse/Maps/ Check out Wage Map #4 and Nationality Map #4 to see maps of the area that overlaps with our neighborhood.

In the 1890s, the area where our campus stands was home to tenements, brothels, and sweatshops. This area was considered to be a slum, a ghetto for the working poor. To get a quick overview of that history and the social justice work that was happening at the time, visit Northwestern's Florence Kelley archives, which I also link to above.