GARDEN (1999)

Project leader: Ray Beldner (www.raybeldner.com); Francisco Middle School; GARDEN was led by site-specific artist Ray Beldner in collaboration with landscape architect Loretta Gargan. The artists, aided by a group of students from the San Francisco Art Institute led the entire Francisco Middle School through a planning and creation process of a garden sanctuary that would sit at the center of their school’s site. The sanctuary was conceived as a learning tool about nature, and a safe, outdoor space in a neighborhood where there were few parks. Besides the many plantings, it included many elements that students suggested: a wishing pool, murals and a circular stonewall. Members of the Levis Community Involvement Team were among the many adult volunteers from the neighborhood who made significant contributions to its creation.