The Green Center

At the Contemporary Open Studios on Sunday, in the blisteringly hot alternative space, I met a number of interesting people. During one of these meetings, I learned about The Green Center in University City. The Green Center is dedicated to "connecting people with nature through science and the arts."

Well, I stopped by there today to check it out and was very impressed. The Green Center has two main sites. Their headquarters are located in a beautifully restored older home originally built in 1932 by Aubrey and Ruth Green. They also have a prairie-wetland complex that I hope to visit sometime in the future, as I did not have time today. The prairie-wetland complex is a native habitat that has been restored and maintained through the many environmentally-based educational programs offered by The Green Center.

While I was there, one of the summer camps was meeting, including two groups: a group of younger children which focused on art and had a poetry workshop earlier in the day and a group of older children in a photography camp aimed at documenting the younger ones. These programs are offered as educational opportunities for urban youth as a means of exposing them to nature and the natural habitat beyond the city. While in camp, the children, typically in 2nd - 6th grade, participate in science and art programming, tend to the prairie-wetlands complex and take field trips to various other parks and gardens.

The Green Center also features changing art exhibits and had sponsored a plein air painting event on its grounds earlier this year. It was wonderful seeing both artwork and hands-on scientific displays in such a beautiful building, and I hope to be involved with The Green Center in the future.