Columbus, OH
We are excited to announce that Terra has been chosen from a national pool of candidates to design a children’s garden at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens!
The project kicked off in March with an on-site, week-long charrette. Cindy and Rob, along with Jenny Pope, the Conservatory’s Director of Community Outreach and Education, collaborated with several focus groups to gather input on the theming of the garden. Local students and their families, board members, donor groups, and Conservatory staff participated in lively workshops to help hone in on what means the most to the Columbus community. The overarching inspiration for the garden became ‘The Ever-changing Magic of the Ohio Landscape’! With this in mind, we set off to choreograph a family adventure unlike any other in the country. The garden will highlight the exquisite diversity and raw beauty of the central Ohio landscape, from woodlands and Paw Paw patches, to the drama of the Blackhand Sandstone bluffs and interactive streams of Hocking Hills.
But we decided that was not enough! To enrich the experience and tie it all together, we have woven in a strong artistic thread that expands STEM to STEAM as families create their own ephemeral art in Nature Art Studio, offers playful aspects to artful storm water management components in Wetland Explore, and celebrates the glass art collection within the Conservatory by inviting local artisans to bring public glass art outdoors in the Rainbow Welcome Terrace.
No other family destination in the Columbus region offers this kind of interactive environment that invites us all to play and explore the beautiful dynamic of the Ohio landscape – come and visit in 2018!