Our Place
After almost five years of visioning, planning and doing our Art-Farmin' at the Community Gardens…we have an official HOME to call our own!This is great Little Artshram news: Monday, May 4th 2009 was the actual and "official" signing of the Management Agreement for the Barns Property, between Little Artshram and the Recreational Authority of the City of Traverse City and Garfield Twp., and our management partners, SEEDS and the Botanic Gardens of Northwest Michigan.
The Barns Property and the old farm, of the former State Mental Hospital is now our "official" home-place for our Community Gardens and Art-Farm programs! We will be occupying approximately four acres along with an old garage building which we plan to transform into our Art-Farm Workshop and Community Learning Center.
Our 2009 Summer Art-Farm programs take place at the Community Gardens near the historic Barns that were once part of a working 54-acre, self-sufficient agricultural farm. This beautiful green-space which is just west of downtown Traverse City, has been described as our version of NYC Central Park. The landscape truly is pastoral with open space and meadows, and further west of both the Barns property and the Village of the Grand Traverse Commons development, eight hiking trails wind themselves through a beautiful woodland and wetland conservation area and wildlife habitat.Beginning in June through August we will be hosting a series of weekly Beehive Art-Farm Camps for children and youth 6 years and older. You can download a registration form for this week-long camp here: .bzz-beehive-reg.pdf
Not only are we bringing in Artists and Permaculturists through a Residency Program, we are working in cooperation with our neighbors just north of the Community Gardens down Red Drive at Bldg. #36, at the Village of Grand Traverse Commons.
We want to grow our Art-Farm family of educators, and share our Permaculture based curriculum. This summer, we are offering folks to join our teaching and apprentice staff, through an Art-Farm Teacher and Apprentice Training, and, Introductory Permaculture and Forest Garden Workshop, from June 15th through the 21st. Contact penny@littleartshram.org for more information about becoming an Art-Farm Teacher.There is LOT's happening already at the Community Gardens with all of the 32 garden plots taken on by eager gardeners. Want to be added to our waiting list for plot in the 2010 growing season? Contact a member of our Community Garden Advisory Committee: tccommunitygardens@gmail.com
You can also check out our Traverse City Community Garden blog here: http://traversecitycommunitygardens.blogspot.com/
We are very pleased and proud of the community support, including the 2007 and 2008 Harvest Festival, Rolling Centuries/Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, and the Oryana Community Grant that have made it possible to have a well put down.
Come and see us at our new home-place, and join this emerging and evolving community owned park. There is LOT's to do to get ready for our summer programs, including planting the teaching and market gardens, cleaning out our Art-Farm Workshop (the old Garage Bldg. #221) and getting the word OUT about our camp enrollment. If you would like to put a few hours in helping us, we would sure appreciate it! Give us a call and we'll let you know what's happening and when.
Based on our work of sponsoring community-gatherings that focus on art and environmental educational for the past five years, our continued vision is to continue to offer programs and classes through a Community Learning Center/Art-Farm Workshop year-round. The Learning Center/Art-Farm Workshop would invite and benefit both residents and non-residents to our Northern Michigan home-place.
Recent Posts
November 27th, 2009
Making the Move for a Tc Transition Town Initiative…
October 30th, 2009
What does any of this have to do with Little Artshram and the work we do with children, youth and families?
September 24th, 2009
Annual Little Artshram & Community Gardens HARVEST FESTIVAL
August 27th, 2009
Tc Microbrew & Music Festival, Saturday, August 29th
July 21st, 2009
TWO weeks of Art-Farm Camp still open..PLUS a Weekend Women's & Girl's Gathering at the Eco-Learning Center
May 13th, 2009
Beehive Art-Farm Camp registration form….
May 9th, 2009
Youth-Market Garden Sponsorship form….
May 6th, 2009
Art-Farm Youth-Market Garden at the Downtown Tc Farmer's Market…
May 5th, 2009
REALLY BIG NEWS! Little Artshram is officially, official….
April 17th, 2009
Sign-up for Teacher Training, Summer Art-Farm Camps and learn about the Community Gardens!
