Joy & Justice in Sacred & Civic Spaces
Explore the impact of museums, libraries, zoos and public gardens.
“We create to discover what we already know but cannot yet name.”
~ Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios
~ Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios
MuseumsI recently visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where I had the pleasure of witnessing an exhibit by artist Rupy C. Tut. She designed this graceful painting titled, “A River of Dreams.”
What I found powerful and inspiring about this art piece was the spirit of generosity that she extended to her museum visitors. Tut designed a shallow, rectangular space in the middle of the exhibit to represent a “river of dreams.” She welcomed visitors to craft paper lotus flowers symbolic of the lotus flowers in her painting. Then she invited people to write a dream on the paper lotus flower and place it in the center of the collective “river.” As she described it, “This installation is a place of rest for unnourished dreams. Use paper and pencil to add your own offering by sharing a dream.” |
"A River of Dreams" by Rupy C. Tut
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Public Libraries
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To me, the museum’s civic space offered a collective, healing ritual much like that of a sacred house of worship. In fact, I decided to adapt these visual, sensory prompts using colored sticky notes during the meditation portion of a worship service that I designed and facilitated with my congregation.
Instead of lotus flowers, I chose the symbol of books for this ritual. My intention was to celebrate and affirm the freedom to read and learn uncensored. Unbanned. May we honor public libraries as sacred, civic spaces. A social hub of community building for all. I offered these instructions to my congregants: “Please find colored sticky notes in the pews of the sanctuary, along with pens. Fold the pieces of paper in half in the shape of a book. Imagine yourself as a living library. A book written on the pages of your own lived experiences, wisdom, dreams, and longings for a better world. What brief message would you like to write down and share as part of a collective library of dreams? Ushers will gather these dreams and place them in a collective glass bowl at the altar as a blessing and an offering. A living library of dreams to be witnessed and celebrated, not shelved and silenced. A simple, collective ritual reminding us that we are not alone.” |
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Zoos
Consider the gift of experiential learning that zoos provide. Zoos support wilderness conservation through outdoor education programs. They invite visitors to learn about the ecosystems and habitats of majestic and playful creatures, leopards and penguins alike.
Joy and justice come alive through the dynamic interaction between the human and more-than-human worlds embedded in a shared ecosystem. Sacred and civic life co-mingling as one.
Joy and justice come alive through the dynamic interaction between the human and more-than-human worlds embedded in a shared ecosystem. Sacred and civic life co-mingling as one.
Public Gardens
Now consider the creative intersections between zoos, libraries and public gardens as sacred, civic spaces offering multiple benefits. In addition to the Woodland Park Zoo’s vibrant wildlife, the zoo also offers free access to its beautiful Rose Garden. This Rose Garden provides a peaceful space of rest and renewal where all are welcomed to enjoy the healing benefits of grounding our bodies in the natural world.
Within this beautiful public garden lies another gem – the Seattle Sensory Garden. A tranquil place for people to feel rejuvenated in body, mind and spirit.
Now add another layer of multi-sensory wonder and delight with Story Walks. Inspired by Seattle Public Libraries, the Woodland Park Zoo engages children through the joy of story time in supporting literacy. These colorfully illustrated stories are whimsically woven throughout this garden landscape creating an “outdoor library.” QR codes are embedded in the story signs making reading accessible in whatever digital format works best for people’s learning styles.
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To amplify the story experience, the garden offers meditative prompts around particular senses. In this case, a prompt for the sense of sound.
“Take a moment to listen…really listen…to the sounds in nature. What do you hear? Do you hear the wind in the trees or the chimes softly moving? Take a few steps and listen to the texture of the sound. What is happening in the silence?” |
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Finally, combine the meditation of sound with life-size chimes. Story connected to contemplation connected to kinesthetic movement and touch. An exquisite symphony for the senses!
"I believe that nature-based, experiential learning offers a healing balm. A sacred gift. It meets people where they are from a place of wholeness and embodiment. An asset-based approach to being human. People grounded in their own lived experiences and wisdom. A much-needed counterbalance to society’s deficit-based mindset which often leaves people feeling less than, diminished, invisible. Sensory-friendly gardens foster a safe, inclusive space where all are welcomed. A living, outdoor sanctuary to celebrate sacred and civic life through liberation, healing and wholeness."
The Reverend Jennifer DeBusk Alviar
The Reverend Jennifer DeBusk Alviar
Planting Seeds of Possibility
Inspired by what I had witnessed in our local civic spaces, I decided to design and facilitate a summer worship service titled, “Planting Seeds of Possibility.” This served as my own sensory-friendly garden ritual within my faith community. To begin, I placed a clay pot with soil and a packet of wildflower seeds at the center of the altar. This, along with a poem by John Soos.
I invited congregants to speak of a time when they experienced beauty in the natural world inspired by Rumi’s poem: “Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
Each congregant planted a wildflower seed in the flowerpot altar. We sang Pete Seeger’s classic folk song from Ecclesiastes, “To Everything There is a Season.” We blessed the wildflower seeds during our worship service together. I believe the message of this collective, community-building sermon was this:
Each congregant planted a wildflower seed in the flowerpot altar. We sang Pete Seeger’s classic folk song from Ecclesiastes, “To Everything There is a Season.” We blessed the wildflower seeds during our worship service together. I believe the message of this collective, community-building sermon was this:
"People are like wildflowers. When we cultivate a diverse ecosystem with rich, nourishing soil, we co-create vibrant life together. Species of all kinds grow and thrive. This is the gift of a healthy garden in its most natural state. A fertile green space to cultivate generative ideas and support diverse ways of being in the world. When we design a sacred space where all brains, bodies and learning styles are welcomed, then form follows function. It celebrates a place of accessibility, inclusion and belonging for all. "
The Reverend Jennifer DeBusk Alviar
The Reverend Jennifer DeBusk Alviar
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A few months after our collective summer ritual of wildflower seeds, our congregation witnessed its first red nasturtium blossom. Born of a wildflower seed. A bloom tended through the soil of the earth and the souls of our community.
A wild and holy Amen! |
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