Forged From Nature Poetry Contest

Our first Twitter contest! The six sculpted gates that create the Forged From Nature exhibition look so great in our ever-changing gardens that we thought they could inspire poety! And so here is our first Twitter contest! Write a poem that fits inside one Tweet and you might win prizes from our Garden Gift Shop and have your poem features on a Garden post card. Official Rules: Each person may submit poetry of any kind inspired by Forged from Nature: An Exhibition of Garden Gates by Andrew T. Crawford. Each poem must fit within one tweet (141 characters) and each tweet must also include #BGpoem (this is not part of the poem, but only tweets containing #BGpoem will be considered). The contest begins Friday, April 8th and continues until 8PM on Sunday, April 17th. Garden staff will choose the winner and seek poems that capture the essence of the gates and Garden most eloquently. The chosen winner will receive a prize package from the Garden Gift Shop which includes a Forged From Nature t-shirt (sizes S-XL available). The selected poem will be used by the Garden on postcards to be sold in the Garden Gift Shop and be posted in our Fall Newsletter. The Garden retains the right to use the winning poem to help celebrate and promote Forged from Nature. We look forward to reading your poems!

BotJam playing at the 40 Watt!

We've got some great musical talent at the Garden that will be playing Friday night. Come support them and a great cause. William Tonks explains it all below:
This will be one for the record books. This week will see a three night battle of the bands descend on the 40 Watt Club, the epicenter of Athens’ musical scene. The event, a benefit for Nuci’s Space, has allowed local businesses (25 have entered!) to corral their talent and put together a band specifically for this, what it known as the AthensBusinessRocks contest. Well, here at the SBG, we have a leg up, as there is already an ensemble ready to go, made up entirely of SBG staff, present and past, going by the name “botjam.” The players: Susan Cooper (Gift Shop Mgr), Bill Kirch (Visitor Services), Bill Leveque (Hort. Staff), Ryan McNeill (former Hort. Staff curator), Steve Mitchell (former hort. staff curator), Wade Seymour (Hort. Staff, Hort Staff, Shene Stroud, Visitor Services, and William Tonks, Visitor Services. The gig: a 15 minute set Friday night, February 4, at 9:30 at the Fabulous Forty Watt Club. There is a cool website at athensbusinessrocks.com, which lists more details about the event and the competition, and the far-ranging, interesting rules for judging.
If you are willing to venture out for a pretty-early slot, 9:30 on a weekend night (the bands play til 1:00, and they initially had us slated for the 11:30 slot, but I wheedled us a more friendly time), that will increase the likelihood of success-big support, big results! They will be charging an admission fee ($5) at the door, and all this goes to Nuci’s as well. The 40 Watt’s pleasant and experienced barkeeps can meet any beverage need, and you get a chance to be part of a really cool cause, and have a chance to see if Botjam can deliver (and what they’ll deliver!). And, if you really, really want to get involved, you can vote for botjam on the website, with your dollars attached, and this is one of the judging criteria. So, if you can’t attend Friday night, you can still help propel Botjam to the final round! So, big opportunity for fun, for involvement in a great cause, great pr connection for the SBG, a great night out with your friends, both offstage and on, and, from what I’ve heard so far, some pretty fine singing, picking, banging and shaking! Let there be rock.

Winners of Statewide Art Competition Announced!

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is pleased to announce the winners of their 2010 Art Competition. This competition is sponsored by the J.A. and H.G. Woodruff, Jr. Charitable Trust to recognize student talent and create signature items for the Garden’s Gift Shop. Funding for this competition not only awards significant cash prizes to students throughout the state, but the Garden is then able to use this artwork to create signature pieces that can only be purchased at the Garden Gift Shop. Eighty-seven entries were received by Georgia students 9th grade and above.

First place winner Elizabeth Nixon is a UGA senior studying Ecology and Scientific Illustration. “I've spent many hours wandering through the botanical garden, and though I have seen a vast collection of plants and animals from around the world, I am most fascinated by the native flora and fauna of Georgia. I hoped to show that in my art by researching the types of plants, animals and fungi found in the area and using that in my paintings. Georgia has the highest number and greatest diversity of amphibian species of all the United States, and is a contender for the state with the most species of turtles. I wanted to show that though birds and mammals are charismatic and very noble creatures, it is our overlooked herpetofauna that are what make Georgia truly a gem of biodiversity." Accompanying the painting "Come Out of Your Shell" was a list of scientific names for all species shown: eastern box turtle, spotted touch-me-not, endemic psylocybe mushroom, black raspberry, ox-eye daisy, globular drop snail, and seven-spotted ladybeetle. Nixon also won a certificate of merit for another entry. Second place and both third place prizes were awarded to high school students.

Now that the winners are chosen, Gift Shop manager Susan Cooper will determine how to use this art to create signature items, such as T-shirts, totes, scarves, stationery, and more to sell in the Garden Gift Shop. “We have many handmade pieces created by local artists and by volunteers who gather together to craft items to sell in our gift shop. The objects created from the winning art will complement our selection of unique, garden-themed items.”

Congratulations to our winners:

First Place, $1,000:

• “Come Out of your Shell at the Botanical Garden” - watercolor by Elizabeth Nixon, University of Georgia (Athens)

Second Place, $500:

• "Inversion" - watercolor and ink by Katie Siegel, Collins Hill High School (Suwanee)

Third Place, $250:

• "Unnamed" - acrylic by Kristen Pack, Wesleyan School (Norcross)

• "Together" - photo by Julie Rodriguez, Wesleyan School (Norcross)

Certificate of Merit, $100:

• "Owl Tree" - ballpoint pen by Elise Longnecker, Georgia Gwinnett College (Lawrenceville)
• "Bufo americanus" - watercolor by Elizabeth Nixon, University of Georgia (Athens)

Honorable Mention:

• "Pod" - charcoal by Julia Timms, Gainesville State College (Watkinsville)
• "Grasshopper" - photo by Evan Anderson, Wesleyan School (Norcross)
• "Leaf" - photo by Jake Cusick, Wesleyan School (Norcross)
• "Breeze" - photo by Robyn Johnson, University of Georgia (Athens)
• "Yellow" - acrylic by Adriana Galvez, Wesleyan School (Norcross)
• "Forgotten Hope" - handmade paper by Corey Masccida, Cross Keys High School (Atlanta)
• "Daisy" - photo by Emily Howell, Wesleyan School (Norcross)

Volunteer Road Trip to Andrew Crawford's studio, GPC Garden

Two staff members and some of our great volunteers squished into a van and headed out to Atlanta last week to tour the Georgia Perimeter College Botanical Garden in Decater and visit artist Andrew Crawford at his studio. We felt right at home at the Georgia Perimeter College Botanical Garden after the first volunteer we met told us she was in the first graduating class in the Certificate in Native Plants program at the State Botanical Garden, then the second volunteer told us she received her Master Gardener training here. George Sanko led us on a walk through the extensive fern collection – in fact, he told us it is the largest fern collection in the world. Then we went into the classroom for a talk on botany. We felt lucky to be there, since George Sanko, who is such an expert on ferns, said he would be retiring next year. There is so much that we can learn from him.

We were pretty crowded in that van before, but with creative packing we managed to fit in many ferns, palms and other plants before heading over to see Andrew. Gardeners just can’t walk away from a plant sale.

Andrew Crawford is working on the first art exhibit that we will have within the State Botanical Garden’s display gardens. Two of the six gates that will be on display are completed and wonderful. A couple weeks ago he brought a large stainless steel sunflower gate to the Garden, with a video crew and professional photographer there to document the installation and the amazing gate. He showed us a prototype of an ear of corn for his next gate, then explained and demonstrated how it was designed and made. The silk, kernels and husk are so realistic that they look like they were cast from a real ear of corn. Since a picture really is worth a thousand words, let’s let them tell you about these gates…

Georgia Students Invited to Enter Art Competition with $1,000 First Prize

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is pleased to announce their 2010 Art Competition is now open to all Georgia students 9^th grade and above. This competition, funded by The J.A. and H.G. Woodruff, Jr. Charitable Trust, celebrates student talent while producing artwork for signature items in the Garden Gift Shop. Your winning design may win up to $1,000.00, plus be used to decorate journals, scarves, travel mugs, and unique gift items. Don’t hesitate to enter – the judges may contact Certificate of Merit winners to purchase their designs.

What are we looking for? Keep in mind, a goal is to create items for our garden gift shop. Previous winners have included pen & ink, paintings, photography and computer enhanced graphics, usually with a botanical, animal or insect subject or an abstract design. Flora and fauna found in the botanical garden or in Georgia is encouraged. One color designs are welcome. The design must be two dimensional. The artwork does not need to be framed but should be signed. For more information, refer to the complete guidelines found at http://www.uga.edu/botgarden/documents/events/artcomp.pdf or call Connie Cottingham at 706-542-6014.

Two great workshops on Saturday at the Garden!

Fall Wildflowers. An introduction to the basic botanical terminology used in identifying and describing fall-flowering plants, with an emphasis on the terminology unique to plants in the Aster (composite) Family. $45, $40 members. 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Visitor Center, Classroom 2.

Gardening Photography. A hands on workshop to improve your skills with the two most popular garden photographs: the overview of the garden and the real challenge, close-ups of flowers. $45, $40 members. 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Callaway Building Auditorium.

Contact: 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu to register.

Weekend Sustainability Conference in Athens

Sustainability: Bring It Home!
Friday evening – Sunday afternoon, November 12-14
members $175; non-members $200 (includes lunch on Saturday)

“Sustainability: Bring It Home!” is a weekend workshop for people who want to transform their home into a fun and practical part of a more ecological world. This comprehensive workshop is filled with interactive presentations and hands-on sessions that educate and inspire participants to create home systems to meet their needs for food, water, and energy as locally, sustainably, and economically as possible. Topics will include: Home Energy Alternatives; Home Orchards and Forest Gardens; Annual and Perennial Vegetable Gardens; Soil Health and Composting; Raising Animals at Home; Natural Building; Creative Erosion Control; Rainwater Catchment; and Creating an Ecological Neighborhood. Visit our website at www.uga.edu/botgarden/educationalevents.html for registration and the complete workshop schedule.

AGENDA
Friday
7:00 – 9:30 pm The Foundations of Sustainability
Challenges to Sustainability: Peak Resource Extraction, Climate Change, Economic Instability
Solutions: Permaculture, Transition Strategies, Transition Homes & Neighborhoods

Saturday
9:00 am – 12:30 pm The Toolkit
Nine Permaculture Principles
Designing an Integrated Home System
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 – 3:45 pm The How To’s
Presentations and Hands-On Projects (Choose One)
Presentation: Annual and Perennial Vegetable Gardens-----Hands-On: Mulch Bed/ Herb Spiral
Presentation: HomeEnergy/Alternatives-----Hands-On: Building a Solar Water Heater
4:00 – 6:00 pm The How To’s
Presentations and Hands-On Projects (Choose One)
Presentation: Healthy Soils-----Hands-On: Compost Bins, Worm Composting, and Composting Toilets
Presentation: Natural Building-----Hands-On: Building with Cob

Sunday
9:00 am – Check-in
9:30 – 11:45 am The How To’s
Presentations and Hands-On Projects (Choose One)
Presentation: Home Orchards and Forest Gardens-----Hands-On: Planting a Polyculture
Presentation: Water in Your System-----Hands-On: Erosion Control/ Rainwater Catchment
11:45 am – 12:45 pm The How To’s
Presentations (Choose One)
Creating an Ecological Neighborhood
Animals and Aquaculture in Your Home System
12:45 – 1:45 pm Potluck Lunch
2:00 – 5:00 pm Design Teams: Students, in small teams, create sustainable home system designs on miniature landscapes; presentations to whole group
5:00 -5:30 pm Summing Up, Next Steps, Conclusion

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

Dennis Hoffarth is a civil engineer with extensive experience in home energy efficiency and passive solar designs, as well as home construction, sanitary systems, and home renovation. He has worked as a consultant in bicycle and pedestrian-based community design. He holds an advanced permaculture design certificate, and has taught many workshops and classes on passive solar design, community planning, and alternative transportation.

Sharon Bagatell is a teacher and farmer with an advanced permaculture design certificate. A former elementary school teacher, she is the author of several environmental education curricula, including a permaculture curriculum for children. She has worked extensively with urban and suburban communities on bicycle and pedestrian planning and education. Sharon is also co-owner of a small organic farm where she is developing a food forest.