Yesterday I got word from ESA instructor Rona Zollinger (and long time beaver friend!) that our student helpers had finished with their “ascribing tiles” for the bridge art project. Would I like to come pick them up? Rona and her students were at the original beaver meeting in 2007, and told me once at the farmer’s market that it had been “thrilling” to attend and show her students first hand how all those people caring about something can make a difference. I was immediately fond of her after that! Since then I have really been drawn to learn about the academy and the remarkable way it teaches stewardship not just for the earth but for the humans that populate it. I did a beaver presentation to the class last year, and was definitely impressed.
What this means is that if the weather gives us a few dry days we can start installation. Take a moment to contemplate the distance crossed in spanning this particular hurdle. First we had to convince the donors to give us money for the pens and the tiles. Then we had to encourage copius young artists at the festival and John Muir Mountain Camp, then we had to bake all 120 tiles in the oven, (which if your oven is 100 years old will only hold 12 tiles at once), then we had to find a contractor and get him to pledge to the project, then we had to beg, plead, muscle and cajole our way onto the Agenda for the Marina, Pool, Parks and Cultural Commission, then we had to present to them and sit through their 3 hour meeting, then we had to meet with the director of public works, then photgraph every tile for their inspection, and FINALLY we had to present to the city council and get final final final approval.
Whew. I’m exhausted just typing it.
Coday, Jessica, Roger and Maddy did a stellar job with their civic art. Check it out. I can’t wait until this project is lauched! Hmmm…what will we do next year?
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