Megan Kounnas

ARE6933
Spring 2020

Proposal for a ‘Nature Art Trail’ at Woodcock Nature Center

Introduction

Art and nature seem to have similar effects on people. They are both outlets for

stress, they can both spark creativity and they both beautify our world. It is no new

concept that exposure to art and to nature result in positive outcomes for both

humankind and natural environments and habitats. The University of Derby found that

after running a “30 Days Wild” campaign, which challenged people to do something in

nature for 30 days straight, there was a 30% increase in participants’ reports on health

and happiness. They also reported improvements on children’s creative thinking skills

and overall self-confidence in schoolwork after participating in the acts of nature. (Coles,

2016). Efforts by nature centers and preserves to hold conservation talks with local

communities and connect children to nature with environmental art classes have

resulted in local pollution improvement and growth in local bee populations (WNC,

2020). With global warming, polluted oceans and beaches, forest fires and extreme

weather becoming the new normal, there is a new sense of urgency to make lifestyle

changes and highlight the importance of how we, as humans, interact with our natural

environments. If given the opportunity, I believe that art could help people interact with

nature and deepen their connections which would result in many positive outcomes for

the environment and future generations of problem solvers, creative and independent

thinkers.

Nature does more than just connect people to the natural environment.

According to research conducted at Greenwich Audubon Center (n.d.), children who

play in natural settings tend to play in more diverse, creative and imaginative ways. It
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was also found that these children also have improved language and collaboration

skills. To support this idea by reflecting on his experiences as a classroom teacher,

Rufo (2012) observed his students developing self-agency and creativity when he

allowed his students to work together and problem-solve by exploring, discovering and

delegating tasks to create forts in nature. Claxton (2006) theorizes that under the right

circumstances, starting with an environment that will foster creativity, students are more

likely to strengthen the other dispositions needed to think creatively. Environment is

crucial in children’s creative development. A natural outdoor environment provides

opportunities for kids to be curious, become resilient and thoughtful and also gives kids

opportunities to experiment without limits is the perfect environment for fostering

creativity and problem-solving skills.

Ingalls-Vanada (2014) say that art and design training develop tolerance of

ambiguity, perseverance, willingness to grow, openness to experience and willingness

to take risks. When creating, children learn to expect the unexpected and to experiment

with materials to see what will work for their ideas and learn that they mustn’t give up

when their attempts fail. Kahn and Kellert (2002) believe that there are few areas of life

that provide children with as much opportunity for building on these skills as nature.

Unlike a classroom setting, nature can provoke pleasure and enthusiasm to explore and

experiment but also can be a source of uncertainty and at times danger which are all

emotions essential for children to experience in order to stimulate brain development.

How wonderful would it be for the future of our natural environments, for our

youth and for our mental health, to provide people a direct encounter with nature that

includes opportunities to create freely using only what nature has provided? I am
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proposing to open a rustic ‘Nature Art Trail’ along one of the already established paths

in Woodcock Nature Center that would give hikers of all ages the opportunity to let

loose, play and create using materials found and gathered from nature at themed stops

along the way.

Program Description

I would like to set up an interactive ‘Nature Art Trail’ on the already established

purple trail at Woodcock Nature Center in Wilton, Connecticut. Because the purple trail

is 0.66 miles long and fairly flat, it makes it manageable for people of all ages to hike

and participate in interactive stops along the way. The other aspect that makes the

purple trail perfect for an interactive nature art trail is the fact that it crosses over

streams and wetlands in parts allowing for more options for people to create while

learning about the different parts of the natural wildlife in southern Connecticut.

Along the trail, I envision a series of tinkering areas with laid out materials

provided by nature, but collected and organized with different themes in mind for each

stop. At one stop there would be slices of thick tree branches cut to manageable sizes

and of different proportions with which people could stack, construct, or layout to create

sculptures. Another stop would be at the small stream where the bridge is on the purple

trail. At this stop, there would be a man-made water ramp tilting toward the river where

there aluminum buckets would allow people to scoop water from the stream and see

what happens when they rearrange wooden blockades along the water ramp to form

dams and change the way the water flows. River rocks would also be available for

people to experiment with and create water sculptures. The nature art stops would
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each have a sign posted educating hikers about the flora and fauna, animal life and

wetlands featured.

At each stop, an artist known for working with nature or the environment would

be featured. By the wetlands, there would be a stop featuring the art of Hubert Duprat,

who would collaborate with nature by providing caddisfly larvae jewels and precious

metals out of which to build their protective homes (Kastner, 2007). Seasonally, this

stop would allow hikers to look under the boardwalk to see the natural homes build by

the caddisfly larvae and would also learn a bit about the creature who is closely related

to the butterfly.

Andy Goldworthy would be featured at a stop near the stream where it is often

muddy. Known for his temporary earth art creations, Goldsworthy’s stop would talk

about how humans are connected to nature just by the iron content in our blood being

the same iron that is found in the dirt all around the world (Tate Modern, 2011). Natural

bamboo brushes would be available to hikers to paint with using the red mud from the

stream bank if they didn’t want to use their fingers to create temporary images on the

massive boulders lining the trails.

A stop making people aware of human destruction on our natural environments

would feature artist, Tim Pugh. He is an environmental artist who uses both things

found in nature at their locations along with trash he finds in nature (Pugh, 2019).

Hikers would be encouraged to pick up any litter along the trail, if found, and use it at

this stop and a bin would be there for recycling or disposing of unusable trash.

This trail would be open year round, as weather would permit, which would allow

for seasonal differences in what people create on their hikes. Snow and ice sculptures
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might be a common theme in winter. Spring and summer would provide more flora and

fauna to work with while fall would be the time when hikers could use the vibrant

autumn leaves to create a rainbow of colors in their creations.

The ‘Nature Art Trail’ would have a hashtag which hikers would be encouraged to

use to post images of their creations or experiences along the trail. This hashtag would

link the community to Woodcock Nature Center and persuade them to come visit the

nature preserve and participate in the artistic collaborations with both other hikers and

nature.

Because this would be on a hiking trail, no permanent staffing would be

necessary, but weekly maintenance might be necessary to make sure that the gathered

materials are still available and organized and that the trash is removed from the stop

incorporating human-made waste. A ranger or maintenance staff member already

working for Woodcock Nature Center would most likely be the one responsible for

general maintenance. Additional work involving the ‘Nature Art Trail’ would require

roughly a few hours pay more a week if that. About twice a year, I would need a few

volunteers to help me replenish any rocks, wood slices and branches, and other

prepared materials to the appropriate stops.

I believe this trail would attract more people to get out to have direct encounters

with nature. In turn, more people will form connections with nature, and feel a sense of

responsibility to protect it for future generations. I also believe this trail would benefit

the development of young people. The freedom to experiment, play and create without

judgement or grading would give them the stress-free time they need in order to learn
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that there are usually multiple solutions to problems, and to find a solution,

perseverance is essential.

Credentials

Because the ‘Nature Art Trail’ would be using an already established trail, not

many outsiders would need to be brought in to make it a reality. Being an art educator,

I am well-qualified to create educational artistic information signs for each stop as well

as plan out what appropriate materials would be available to create with.

I would rely on Woodcock Nature Center staff to help provide educational

information about the plant and animal wildlife for signs. It would be beneficial to have

the center’s program and science advisor, Dr.Michael Rubbo to oversee the setup and

organization of information to make sure we are correct on the facts we post.

Funding

Although Woodcock Nature Center would not have to hire new employees to

maintain the trails, to make this project a reality, I would need funding for additional pay

for staff members who already work at the center to help me maintain the nature stops

several times a year. It would probably require more maintenance in spring, summer

and fall months, but nothing major other than hauling recycling or trash bins and

sometimes putting materials back in organized spaces.

Volunteers from the community would be needed to help gather and

organize materials at each stop. If a business helped out at a certain stop, a thank you

to their business would appear on the sign featured. I would request a business like

Gregory’s Sawmill in Wilton to help cut the wood. Caratozzolo Stone Design in Wilton

would be a great business to help move stones to a stop for stacking and a bit of
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historical information about Connecticut’s stone walls might be incorporated at that stop.

I would ask for aluminum can donations or empty paint buckets and brushes from

Keogh’s Paint and Hardware.

This project will require more hours of labor than actual money to get it up and

running, but to build and launch it, I would apply for a grant with the Child Well-being

Program through the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation which is an organization that

awards grants to improve the quality of people’s lives through programs that support the

arts and environmental conservation. The ‘Nature Art Trail’ I’m proposing would be the

perfect candidate for this particular grant because it incorporates both the arts and

nature conservation in one program which is exactly what the DDCF is seeking.

References
Claxton, G. (2006). Cultivating creative mentalities: A framework for education. Thinking

Skills and Creativity, 1(2006), 57-61

Coles, J. (2016). How nature is good for our health and happiness. BBC Earth.

Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160420-how-nature-is-good

for-our-health-and-happiness

Greenwich Audubon Center. (N.d.). Nature Play Trail. Retrieved from

https://greenwich.audubon.org/nature-play-trail#3

Ingalls Vanada, D. (2014). Balance, Depth and Beyond: Tapping in to Design Thinking

in Art Education. The International Journal of Arts Education, 10(1), 1-14.

Kahn, P., & Kellert, S. (2002). Children and nature: Psychological, sociocultural and

evolutionary investigations. London, England: The MIT Press. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfX
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cwOTQ3X19BTg2?sid=d869c283-d137-4402-8955-e16b80072050@sdc-v

sessmgr02&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1

Kastner, J. (2007). Artist project/Trichopterae: Hubert Duprat. Cabinet magazine,(25)

Retrieved from http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/25/duprat.php

Pugh, T. (2019). Tim Pough-Environmental artist. Retrieved from

https://www.timpugh.co.uk/artists-statement

Rufo, D. (2012). Building forts and drawing on walls: Fostering student-initiated

creativity inside and outside the elementary classroom. Art Education.

Tate Modern (Producer). (2011). Andy Goldsworthy: We share a connection with stone

[Video File]. United Kingdom: TateShots. Retrieved from

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-goldsworthy-7274/andy-goldsworthy

share-connection-stone

WNC website (2020). Retrieved from https://www.woodcocknaturecenter.org/