Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Book: Open Spaces Sacred Places



F
air warning: Here comes a plug...

There's a small foundation based out of Annapolis, Maryland called TKF. Founded by Tom and Kitty Stoner, the foundation awards grants to individuals and organizations who create accessible green space in compelling settings: healing gardens at hospitals, labyrinths near drug corners in the inner city, arboretums on former brownfield sites. The types of projects they support are small in scope, but big in ambition, and many transform the communities they serve. I wrote a story about one of my favorite spaces, the Mount Washington Arboretum, in 2007 and this winter I was asked to help TKF edit a book about their projects. The book, called Open Spaces Sacred Places, is out now. It offers firsthand accounts from participants about how their projects came into being and it offers advice on how to replicate the process in your own community. And there's an excellent forward from Martin Moeller of the National Building Museum about sacred space and landscape design.