The projects started off with a tour of the Smithsonian Gardens and each group's project. We looked at everything from sustaniable farming practices to conservation of resources in a garden to what historical heritage we have in these gardens. I learned about Grocery Deserts - neighborhoods that do not have access to grocery stores with frest produce. I had no idea this was as big a problem in the inner cities as it is.
We then examined all aspects of the Cultural Festival, from an exhibit advocating for the reform of foster care to green housing, to the effects of littering on desert wildlife. I think the part that touched everyone was the Aids quilt spread out on the Mall. Each quilt patch is the size of the average human gravesite, something that I didn't know before and that I found particularly poingant.
Something I would have liked to investigate more would have been the aspect of using flowers artistically to communicate thoughts and feelings. For instance, the Victorians had a whole language of flowers for flirting and courtship, and people have left flowers on graves for thousands of years. I would have liked to investigate these connections further, but perhaps that is fodder for another Mission?
I would be very interested to hear what everyone else thought of this week and is looking forward to bringing back to their classroom. I had a wonderful time getting to know everyone. As always, a huge thank you to Jeff and Kim for coordinating the workshop and bringing us all together!
