Sorana Tarmu Art & Design

Ecological Design Retreat in East Hampton

I have been taking classes at NYBG for a few years now, mostly Landscape Graphics. which have taken my graphic skills in directions I have never expected. Also, I had the incredible luck and privilege to take a Landscape Design History course with the delightful Marta MacDowell - one of my favorite educators ever. So when I discovered this off-site course offering (a retreat, no less) at Edwina von Gal's own Marsh House, I was over the moon with excitement. Hoping for favorable weather, although very few adversities would prevent me from attending...

The Way of the Black Stork

I have been fascinated with black storks ever since I learned about their existence. Although they have the same feeding grounds with their white cousins, unlike these ones they live far from human habitations, preferring to nest in the canopies of the oldest forests they can find. If the white stork is the symbol of new life, social interaction and material achievements, I would think the black one is the symbol of seasoned life, solitary pursuits, “ivory towers” and creations of the spirit.

May you be blessed with the gifts of both.

“Black Stork”, Prismacolor pencils on upcycled paper, 2’’x 4’’

Sustainable JC’s Rain Garden + ART ioby.org campaign launching

Sustainable JC is excited to announce the launch of their Rain Garden +ART campaign!

As some of you may know, Jersey City has an aging sewer system.  Because of the current condition of the system, overflows during rainstorms release sewage tainted storm water into rivers and the urban landscape.  Because of these overflows, Jersey City has been levied with an EPA Consent Decree for violations of the Federal Clean Water Act. 

We at SJC believe that more green infrastructure in Jersey City will alleviate this issue substantially and lower the estimated $54 million dollar tab to repair our sewer system by at least 50%.  We also believe that we can educate and engage neighborhoods across the city about this community health issue through the Arts, and so have launched a citywide Rain Garden + ART campaign.

Rain gardens are a low-cost green infrastructure method that allow rainwater and snowmelt to be collected and seep naturally into the ground.  They divert water away from sewers and thereby reduce the load and the amount of sewage released into the environment.  In order to demonstrate their positive effects not only on the environment but also in the social realm by bringing community groups together, SJC has chosen an initial demonstration site of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

In addition to providing an excellent cost-saving measure for the city, the gardens will provide beautification with native plants and companion art installations located in and around the site.  Through our collaboration with community arts organizations, individual artists, the NJ Tree Foundation and our host site partners, SJC aims to show how connecting social, environmental and economic impacts can transform Jersey City into a more sustainable place to live and work.

In order to fund and install these gardens, SJC has partnered with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ Tree Foundation and the New York City based crowd-resourcing site, ioby.org.  As a community-based organization, our goal is to integrate the community into the fundraising and implementation process as much as possible.  The Dodge Foundation has generously awarded SJC with a grant to finance half of the project but we still need to raise the other half.  We invite you to support us in this campaign and spread the word!

For more information and to donate, our ioby site can be accessed at: https://www.ioby.org/project/sjcs-rain-gardens-art-campaign.

Introspection

If I were a month I'd be April

If I were a day I'd be Monday

If I were a time of day I'd be the noon

If I were a font I'd be Georgia

If I were a sea animal I'd be an octopus

If I were a direction I'd be South-West

If I were a piece of furniture I'd be a Biedermeyer writing desk

If I were a liquid I'd be Argentinian mate

If I were a gemstone I'd be an amethyst

If I were a tree I’d be a rowan

If I were a tool I’d be an old wooden mending mushroom

If I were a flower I’d be a violet

If I were an element of weather I’d be a lightning

If I were a musical instrument I’d be a flute

If I were a color I'd be burgundy

If I were an emotion I'd be exhilaration

If I were a fruit I'd be an apricot

If I were a sound I'd be the song of a whale

If I were an element I'd be phosphorus

If I were a car I'd be an ARO IMS (a Romanian civil off-road vehicle)

If I were a food I'd be a cucumber sandwich with goat cheese, fresh dill and tea.

If I were a place I'd be a tall grass meadow with oak trees here and there

If I were material I'd be silk

If I were a taste I'd be bitter

If I were a scent I'd be an oriental spice sukh

If I were a body part I'd be the nape of the neck

If I were a song I'd be Witch’s Promise by Jethro Tull

If I were a bird I'd be a crane

If I were a gift I'd be a cloth and fiber wrapped Japanese paper notebook

If I were a city I'd be Sevilla

If I were a door I'd be a hand-carved wooden door

If I were a pair of shoes I'd be Louis XIV shoes with buckles

If I were a poem I'd be Unto the Star by Mihai Eminescu.

Inspired by Lisa Jordan and Julie.