AT SAINT PAUL'S SCHOOL IN THE SPRING OF 2004.

St. Paul's School, or SPS, is a co-ed boarding school, grades 9 - 12, in Concord, New Hampshire. Approximately 500 students attend classes and live on a 2000 acre campus a few miles west of New Hampshire's capital city. Meadowsweet Dairy as artist in residence has collaborated with Brad Choyt, a member of the art department faculty, to hold a seminar exploring environmental art themes and a connection between art and the school's campus. We started thinking we would connect the biology and art departments in designing and building a site specific piece for the school. It might have been habitat for wildlife. It turned out to be habitat for students. We are pleased to have helped build something for the unscheduled recreation of human adolescents. We also hope the science, art and humanities departments of the school will converge here to deepen the community's sense of place.

That the connection between science and art was not formally made in this seminar leaves plenty still to do to bring these two disciplines, both of which study and honor nature, closer together to achieve a deeper connection between the school and its campus. Presently the school community is functionally unaware of the ground beneath it. Aside from commenting about the weather and seasons, the physical connection with the land is urban in nature. At a time in history when water soil and air - fundamental elements of health - are at risk from the values arising from urbanized human population and consumption patterns, an institution like St. Paul's must find ways to continue a leadership role in education and expand its spiritual life to embrace its natural setting. Without this, its religious practice becomes frivolous.

JOURNAL FOR THE SEMINAR "THIRTY-SIX MEETINGS"

Meetings One Through Five

During early meetings, we discussed in general terms starting a process of collaboration.

We have a blank canvas staring at us.

Several artists were selected from student surveys of greenmuseum.org whose working method is compatible with the several campus locations that the group has begun to notice. Two campus sites of interest are meadows , two are demolished building sites (a very old mill site and the former lower school boathouse) and one is an old pond with skunken white pine logs from the 1938 hurricane. It now seems appropriate to do some research on these five possible sites to help us determine which, or how many, we will develop.

After visiting three of the sites along the north shore of Lower Pond, we decided that logistical demands prevented trying to raise the logs. We have short meetings and can't afford the travel time to where the logs lie in 8 to 10 feet of water. This would make a wonderful special summer project which could yield for the school a pile of valuable construction grade white pine timber.

The three Lower Pond sites are all near the center of campus. They sparked more interest because of the history of use they have over the years.

At this time we also decided to do layered painting of interesting and ordinary objects, some of which are related to our being outdoors at the chosen sites and in the environs. These we will work on in parallel with the site projects with the intention of producing a show.

When the painters have applied many layers, we will sand back through them.

Meetings Six Through Eleven

Design concepts have begun to surface. Between the three Lower Pond sites, interest is highest in the Lower School Boathouse location. There is also a small group wanting to work on the old mill stone wall remains. Both these sites have great potential and we will do something in both places with different groups. The old mill we'll call the mill site and the boathouse and dock area will be the boathouse which will have two components, the plaza and the dock.

Cleanup comes first at the plaza.

We raked and cleaned up sharp debris at the boathouse site and broke into teams to develop these aspects of the design: the existing dock and float, the open space on land (which we could call a plaza) and the portal or portals providing formal approach or entry points.

The Facilities Director, Carol Boyd, expressed enthusiasm and approval of the students' wish to reclaim the boathouse site and make the mill site accessible. This means the material and mechanical resources needed to build something good are available as long as the regular work of the Facilities personnel are not disrupted. This is wonderful news!

The boathouse concept will use granite to surround and contain raised fill. In the filled area we will set selected chunks of granite as design elements. Some of these inset pieces will be for sitting or reclining. Others will be sculptural. We will try for a pagan feeling there.

Making a scale model helps explain our plan and estimate where objects might fit.

Stakes are in the ground and connected with twine to mark a suggested plaza shape. It may be larger than the final design. This present iteration requires 163 linear feet of granite curb to surround the fill and about 40 cubic yards of compacted fill.

We need a logistical plan. There is a lot of heavy material to move and set in place. We have even found old mill stones to use.

Meetings Twelve through Twenty-six

We marked the granite needed from the waste pile at the school facilities compound and the facilities superintend began to move it to the site. Looking forward we have four weeks to set granite, fill, compact and then do the carpentry on the dock to connect the plaza. A few of the seminar participants are becoming involved beyond the required attendance.

The mill site is still in the clearing stage. As soon as the overgrowth is cut, we will set a bridge and the smaller of our two millstones in place there. It is a simple project and could produce a subtle and satisfying destination.

There is limited access to the dry laid foundation area, much of which is flooded.

The wooden crossing will be replaced by a stone slab.

Three of us worked 20 minutes to get this where we could drop it into the pool.

Back at the plaza, rain is now the main obstacle to finishing by the end of May. A rented skid steer loader with forks and bucket is used to sort granite at the waste pile and place pieces at the boat house site.

The peripheral stones define the shape and feel of the plaza.

The nearby dock is an important recreational site for the students. These two components must be tied together.

Curbing is cut to connect the big peripheral stones to hold the compacted fill which has begun to arrive in Willy's truck.

We are setting curbs...

...and cleaning old mortar from the big stones. With these tasks nearly done it is time to start placing interior "furniture stones in the plaza.

These are centered around a millstone to provide places to sit or play music.

Meanwhile, the mill site has been cleared of brush...

...and a bridge now connects it to the pond path.

Meeting Twenty-seven

A field trip to the Rachel Carson Wilderness in Maine and lunch in Portsmouth, New Hampshire is pure rest...

This refreshment prepares us for the final push toward completion.

Meetings Twenty-eight through Thirty Six

To pull it all together the cut-off dock must be remodeled.

Elevated stones get cleaned and secured.

The group gathers to confer about the completion phase.

The plaza is almost finished...

...and wood chips are arriving for the outside surround.

The time capsule is ready.

Carpentry will now convert the old boathouse lumber into a connection with the dock, the students' favorite hangout spot.

Two days later we are doing the final cleanup

and the project is finished.

The old boathouse doors are returned to the site as a ceremonial shelter and reminder of the recent demolition of a piece of school history which made room for this new arrival. The graffiti still visible in the doors will now be augmented by a few more incisions by departing seniors in the multi layered polychrome of paint .

Thanks for having us and helping, Glenda and Henry.

Thanks also to you, Brad Choyt, who inspired and guided this whole undertaking.