The Mission

"Three Circles, Four Seasons" invites people of all descriptions to glimpse a bit of Nature at Pinwheel Farm. Enjoying outdoor open spaces can be small, simple, uncomplicated, unskilled, unstressed. This approach can be applied to any open space, however small or humble: a city yard, a park, an island in a parking lot. It can also deepen one's appreciation of the grandest open spaces around the world.

There are four activities:

Exploring: Visit the space in person or vicariously through electronic or print media.

Open spaces can be overwhelming when you aren't used to them! In our ordinary lives, our attention is focused and constrained by boundaries, everywhere: The window frame, the edge of the computer screen, the field of view of the camera, the page of the book. Open spaces, however, are without boundaries. 360 degrees...but in three dimensions. In front of us, above us, below us, behind us. Everywhere.

It's relaxing, then, to take a simple frame...a playful hula hoop...and place it within that boundless open space. How random that feels, especially in a space you've never been before. It's awkward! The first bite of eating an elephant! But now...we can focus on just that small space, a simple center that is a part of the whole, connected, yet so much more manageable.

Look at what's there within that simple frame. Take pictures. Listen. Record bird songs. Identify the sounds of human activity, at arm's length here. Touch the earth. Look up at the sky. Feel the air (and maybe rain or snow). 

Researching: Whether it's field guides at the library, or apps on your phone, or a knowledgable friend, there are so many resources for learning more about the things you've discovered within that random circle. Go down those rabbit holes!

Transforming: Take the memories, photos, recordings, etc., of your exploration...combine with what you've learned through your research...and make something! Trace a photograph to turn it into a drawing...use watercolors to capture the colors...write a poem or a song...there are no rules or limits!

Wait...don't say you're not an artist or a poet or whatever. You are, just as you were a real explorer when you went into the open space and placed a circle around a small bit of it. Write a few quick words...there, that's a poem. It doesn't have to be perfect. Keep things simple. Nature is messy, not perfect. You don't have to be, either. 

And then...repeat. Explore again: Revisit the circle. How has it changed? How have you changed? How has your relationship with that small place changed? Do different things sing in a different season? Now you know what that seedling is. Are there new things? Research them! Then transform these new experiences.

Outreaching: Find ways to share your experiences with others through writing (online and print journals, poems, articles), visual products (calendar, note cards, photo prints), and story-sharing.

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Description of adventure:

A diverse group of Explorers, Interpreters, Researchers, and Designers—three each—will be selected. They will be amateurs or beginners, chosen for interest and availability, not connections, training, or experience. These three teams will each complete four cycles, resulting in four calendar pages.

Each Explorer will place a hula hoop somewhere on the farm. It will be staked down. This will be their Circle for the project duration. Explorers will visit their Circle four times during the project, spending half an hour or more as desired.

Explorers will create a Circle Record for each visit, using cell phone photos, writing, etc. to record their experience there, as well as recording the time, date, weather, nature observations, etc.

Interpreters will use the Circle Records as starting points to create simple printable creative works. A photo might become a drawing; an observation might become a poem.

Researchers will identify natural objects in the Circle Records and write a brief factual report about them.

Each Designer will create four calendar pages that summarize the work of their team.

Interpreters, Researchers, and Designers may visit the Circles, but don’t need to.

A calendar will be printed, shared with all participants, and be sold.

 

Why is this adventure important?

This project will reveal to the broader community that natural spaces can be experienced and interpreted in many ways, first-hand but also vicariously through the experiences of others. It demonstrates that the value of open spaces extends far beyond those who personally visit them.

Within the project teams, participants will experience nature through each other’s perceptions, as well as their own.  Building off of others’ experiences, and seeing how others build off of their own experiences, will enrich their experience of these small Circles of nature.

Focusing on small spaces and simple outcomes underscores how open spaces benefit people of all abilities: An adventure need not be strenuous or time consuming and does not require special equipment, skills, or methods to enjoy and respond to nature. Open spaces can be small as well as large.

The calendar format will remind both its creators and users of the richness of returning to the same small space again and again, instead of always seeking novelty and grandeur.

Pinwheel Farm is a State registered agritourism site. We have raised sheep, chickens and horticultural crops for 28 years, focusing on education and accommodating diversity of people as well as ecology.

 

The project seeks innovative definitions of what it means to be an adventurer, prioritizing diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity in its selection of grantees, with special consideration given to creating a pool of grantees of diverse ages, races, sexes, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds, and physical and intellectual abilities. 

How does your team fulfill this priority?

 

I myself am a senior queer-identifying person on the autism spectrum. For the teams, I will select a diverse group of participants and work with them to explore and broaden accessibility concerns on the farm.
The farm has a golf cart that aids people with mobility challenges in accessing remote parts of the farm. Flat topography allows use of walkers or wheelchairs. The farm itself is easily accessed from the Lawrence City Transit system, as well as by bike or car.

I have previously hosted interns, apprentices, and guests spanning a wide range of abilities, cultures, ages, etc. I have hosted Lawrence CTRANS program for tours, provided a summer-long internship for a deaf student at Kansas City Art Institute, hosted numerous international farm participants, and run long-term educational programs for grade school children as well as junior high and high school private school classes.

 

 

How do you think this project reflects on Douglas County open space? (Up to 200 words)

The Douglas County Open Space Plan and this grant opportunity both demonstrate an immense growth in public and government perceptions and policy since my arrival in Lawrence and purchase of the farm.

 

How much growth? The first year of the Elizabeth Schultz grants, they were open to individuals, not just non-profits. I sought a modest grant to develop a walking trail to allow public hiking on my farm. However, Douglas County Zoning and Codes told me that it was against the regulations to allow people to hike or watch birds on my property!

 

I am very glad to see Douglas County finally appreciating its open and natural spaces, and encouraging people to seek them out and enjoy them, and developing policies that promote that. I hope that finally, 25 years later, this grant will give me the opportunity to share the natural beauty of the farm and its small spaces with others, who will in turn share with the community.

 

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What do you hope to learn from this project? ---

I hope to learn a lot about the Circles selected by the teams! There could be recorded observations of things that I haven’t noticed!

I also hope to learn how the farm can be more accessible to others of all abilities and identities. This is an on-going special interest, because I am acutely aware that the abilities that I have today are not guaranteed to me tomorrow. I plan to age in place here, and now is the time for me to work at making it accessible for my future self. Learning from the experience of others will be very valuable, and help me to continue to enjoy this natural place that I’ve lovingly curated for more than a quarter of a century.

I hope to expand my personal circles to include even more diverse friends throughout the collaboration phase, and through follow-up connections made via the publicity of the calendar and presentations.

I also want to be inspired creatively. I created calendars for four years in the early 1980s, so creating this calendar circles back to my own long-dormant artistic roots even if I’m just the facilitator.

To which of the following themes does your project relate, if any? (Check all that apply). *

X  Exploring Environmental Justice (defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies")

X  Making Outdoor Adventure Inclusive and Accessible to All Identities

X  Exploring Broad and Innovative Definitions of What Outdoor Adventure Means

Examining the Role that Sound and Silence in Cities vs. Nature (i.e., the impacts of sound on human and animal wellbeing).

None of the above.

 

 

 

If yes, how? (Up to 200 words)

 

Environmental justice has long been a personal priority, reflected in the farm’s dedication to diversity in the people it hosts and serves. Farm events are free or by donation.

Legally I “own” the farm, but my role has always been as steward and defender of the land and its non-human Community of Life. I ransomed it from the cash economy, and strive to ensure that it is never bought and sold for profit again.

 

Making Outdoor Adventure Inclusive and Accessible to All Identities: Pinwheel Farm has a long history of hosting people of all ages, abilities, and identities. This project is specifically designed to allow meaningful participation even by people who cannot physically visit the farm.

Accessibility regardless of economic status is a priority. The farm is on a city bus route and accessible by bicycle or foot.

 

Exploring Broad and Innovative Definitions of What Outdoor Adventure Means: The focus on three small Circles out of 12 acres emphasizes that any and all nature is important, inspiring, life-giving…and potentially an adventure. I hope this project will inspire others to choose and re-visit a small space, whether their yard, a neighborhood park, or out yonder.