(1) Our garden is all organic. Seeds, pesticide, fertilizers, etc. used in your plot, have to be organic.

(2) People with individual plots, must provide their own seeds and seedlings for their plot. The plots will remain free to the community, and our tools will still be available for community use.

(3) The watering system will be renovated this season, making watering easier for gardeners.

(4) People can choose from ground or accessible plots.

(5) Our space is universally designed and located right on the bus line.

If you are interested in a plot, please contact Ava at ava@aacil.org, or by phone  at (734) 971-0277 ext. 55

I am pleased to announce that the Ann Arbor CIL  and the Ann Arbor Art Center, are teaming up to  offer more   inclusive and accessible  community arts activities and opportunities! The mission of the Ann Arbor Art Center,  is to be a ‘dynamic organization engaging the community in the education, exhibition, and exploration of the visual arts.’   While the mission of the Ann Arbor CIL Sports and Recreation Department is to provide and advocate for inclusive and accessible community recreation activities.  It is clear that this new partnership  will support both the Ann Arbor CIL and the Ann  Arbor Art Center in fulfilling  their  respective missions.  The first of these activities will be a ‘Beginning WaterColor’ class offered as part of the Ann Arbor Art Center’s spring education series, but held at the Ann Arbor CIL.

About the class:

Taught by Ann Arbor Art Center instructor, Susan Clinthorne, this ‘Beginning WaterColor’ class guides beginners through the fresh and transparent medium of watercolor. In a fun and relaxed atmosphere, students will learn the basics about pigments and papers, understanding color and value, and glazes and washes.   The class meets once a week for 6 weeks, and each session will feature a series of exercises that build skills and confidence, and students will learn a variety of techniques.

The class will be held on Saturdays, April 13, 20, 27, May 18, 25, June 1 from 1-3pm, at the Ann Arbor CIL    There is a registration fee of  $100,  for the class,  which covers all 6 weeks, and all of the necessary materials.  If you are a member of the Ann Arbor Art Center, registration is  $90.  The Ann Arbor CIL is able to  offer limited need – based scholarships to interested participants. If you would like to  apply for a scholarship, please contact Ava at (734) 971-0277 x-55, or by email at ava@aacil.org.  However. if you do not need a scholarship, and want to register for the class, please do so  through the Ann Arbor Art Center website, www.annarborartcenter.org/education. Please contact Ava if you need assistance with online registration.

About  the instructor, Susan Clinthorne:
Since receiving a BFA from EMU, Susan has enjoyed painting in her studio and at “plein air” outings. She works in watercolor, gouache, and pastels – switching from one to the other or combining. Her subject matter includes flowers, landscape, figures and still life subjects. She is compelled to try too capture the beauty she sees and preserve the essence. “I always feel I am one of the luckiest people in the world because I look at things from an artist’s point of view. I may see colors in the trees that no one else sees or I may see a huge drama played out in the simple form of a flower.”

]]> http://www.annarborcil.org/2013/03/28/announcing-a-new-partnership-with-the-ann-arbor-art-center/feed/ 1 http://www.annarborcil.org/2013/03/20/an-afternoon-at-the-university-of-michigan-museum-of-art/ http://www.annarborcil.org/2013/03/20/an-afternoon-at-the-university-of-michigan-museum-of-art/#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:09:26 +0000 msartori http://www.annarborcil.org/?p=8168 The University of Michigan’s Museum of Art is one of the best art museums in the country. On Tuesday April 16th, join the staff of the Ann Arbor CIL Recreation program as we spend the afternoon at the museum, enjoying… Read more ›

Spring Registration

Last Tuesday, the 15th, the Ann Arbor CIL welcomed Master Composter Joet Roma of Project Grow, and Master Vermiculturist Jesse Raudenbush of Starr Valley Farms. These two experienced gardeners taught the  introductory class in a series of vermiculture  (worm composting) classes that will be offered at the Ann Arbor CIL. These classes are the educational and experiential  component of our newly acquired vermiculture system.

During the first class, participants learned everything from the basics of backyard composting to  vermiculture terminology and worm anatomy.  Near the end of the class, participants had a chance to inspect and handle red wiggler worms in the bedding that could be typically found in a worm bin.  The maintenance and care of the Ann Arbor CIL vermiculture system was also ‘graded’ by the two teachers at this time. I am proud to announce that although we are still amateur vermiculturists, our worm bin received a B+ grade.

If you are interested in attending future vermiculture classes, please  continue to check the Sports and Recreation calender, as the dates and times of the classes are still to be determined.  You can also email the gardening coordinator at ava@aacil.org to be added to our community garden email list.

Thanks Joet and Jesse for teaching the community about the wonderful world of vermiculture!

facebook 101

Stampin’ Up Greeting Card Workshop
February 12th; 5:30-7:30 pm
Ann Arbor CIL
RSVP  by February 8th is required for this event
Cost: $7.50

Vermiculture is an all organic process of using red worms, to decompose yard, food and paper waste, into rich bi-products, which are then used as an organic fertilizer and soil amendment!

Why is vermiculture important to a garden?

Worm waste products (or castings) make up some of the best organic fertilizer out there. In order to yield the healthiest produce, after the worms digest the yard, food and paper waste, their castings are harvested (every three to six months) and mixed into our garden plots.

Our system

This past Friday, Jesse Raudenbush of Starr Valley Farms dropped off materials for a vermiculture system at the Ann Arbor CIL. These materials included an accessible worm bin, red worms, bedding for the worms, and a book on vermiculture.  Ann Arbor CIL staff members,  gardeners, consumers, and friends,  no longer have to throw away their food waste. Instead, they have the option to place it into our worm bin, and then their waste will be turned  into organic fertilizer!

Want to learn more?

Interested in learning more about vermiculture and composting?  Looking for a way to become involved in our gardening community?  Jesse will be teaching a series of classes at the Ann Arbor CIL on vermiculture and backyard composting. The first class is on the 15th from 1-2:30 pm.  Attendance is free and open to the community.

On November 26th, approximately 20 fourth and fifth graders from the Ann Arbor Learning Community visited the Ann Arbor CIL.  The students all listened quietly as we discussed disability etiquette; and they all loved riding on our hand cycle trainer when we toured our inclusive fitness center.

Then around 1pm, the ‘Better Together’ community gardeners  arrived, and we all went into the garden to begin planting seeds into containers. The students were divided into groups of four, and each group got to pick the seeds they wanted to plant.   The students ended up planting about five containers for us.  After the students left, our community gardeners  finished planting the last couple containers.

Thank you to the students of the Ann Arbor Learning Community for a GREAT TIME!

If you want to get involved in our winter gardening activities, contact Ava HaberkornHalm at ava@aacil.org.

There will be no Art Friday on the 21st. Art Friday will resume on January 4th.

Have a wonderful and safe new year!

Rap for Food Workshop- December 6th, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

This Workshop is about helping individuals express themselves through Hip-hop music. We will go through a series of exercises that provide an understanding of the length of a typical rap verse, the rhythm of hip-hop, and the tips and tricks of writing rhyme. Then we will go through a writing exercise with help from facilitators and share our creations to the tune of a hip-hop instrumental.

Rap For Food’s mission is to support localization, sustainable food systems, and youth gardening through the arts. If you would like to learn more please visit: www.facebook.com/rapforfood.

Wreath Making Workshop- December 18th, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Fabric wreaths are fun, easy to make, and can be customized to fit any style, decor, or occasion. They also make great gifts. This workshop will teach you how to create your own wreaths out of fabric from start to finish. This project can be sewn either by hand or by machine. The choice is yours! Supplies are provided but you may bring your own machine and sewing supplies as well. This workshop requires no prior experience, is open to all ages, and is completely free! Please join us.

We believe that inclusive recreation is socially, physically, and psychologically beneficial to ALL community members. Thus, in order to better serve our community we are holding two focus groups sessions during which we would like your input on the recreation program!

Here are just a few examples of the types of questions you might be asked at the focus group.  How can we improve our recreation program? What activities would you like to see offered? Would you like more opportunities to facilitate/lead classes?  How can we expand our community outreach?

To better accommodate your schedule we will be facilitating two focus groups at different dates and times.

The first focus group is on December 10th, from 12:00-1:30pm.

The second focus group will be held on December 12th, from 6:00-7:30pm.

To RSVP for the focus groups, please contact Ava HaberkornHalm at (734)971-0277 ext. 55, or by email at ava@aacil.org.

Earlier this year, the Ann Arbor CIL was invited to submit a presentation proposal to the re-con: Convention of New Beginnings,  in Traverse City,  so we could share our inclusive community garden and gardening program with a wider audience.  The proposal was submitted, and on November 7th, we traveled to Traverse City.

On November 8th, we delivered a powerpoint presentation entitled, “The Better Together Community Garden: Developing and Implementing a Model of Inclusion”. Our presentation addressed our gardening space and program; the benefits of community gardening; universal design and community gardens; low – cost ways to make your garden inclusive; understanding social and emotional inclusion in community recreation programs; the social, educational, and nutritional benefits of an inclusive community gardening programs and  how to partner with other community gardening organizations.

Following our presentation, we talked with other members of the community who are  interested in inclusive community gardening, and made some valuable connections.  We were also told by a convention board member, that, due to our knowledge and passion about the subject matter, we were the best presentation he has seen in fifteen years.

If you would like to see what our presentation looked like, the powerpoint slides and handouts from our presentation are available at  http://mi-recon.org/sessions.html .  If you have any questions about the presentation, or about our community garden, please contact Ava HaberkornHalm by email at ava@aacil.org, or by phone at (734) 971-0277 ext. 55.

Thank you to all the community gardeners whose hard work and dedication transformed our garden into something to present about!

On Monday, November 12th we had the end of the season garden potluck and celebration!  Along with salsa, chips, soda, veggies, and coffee cake, community gardeners brought their ideas and opinions about the past season to the table!

Through some good discussion, four community gardeners decided to take on more of a leadership role in the coming gardening seasons.  Also, it was decided that we will begin indoor planting on November 26th at 1 pm; and we will finish winterizing our garden on November 28th at 12:30pm. Our community welcomes any interested individuals to join us in these two activities.

If you are interested in becoming involved with our community garden, please contact Ava HaberkornHalm, at ava@aacil.org.

We did a fabulous job growing food and community this past season! Give yourselves a round of applause!

Thank you so much for the great time Lori!

Today, artwork created by some of the Ann Arbor CIL’s consumers and volunteers will be showcased as part of the Second Annual Allies forDisability Awareness Art Show. The show, part of the University of Michigan’s investing in Disability Week (October 22nd-26th), will be opening on Monday the 22nd, at 5PM at the Duderstadt Center Gallery (2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor).

Steve Hardway, a long time participant of the Ann Arbor CIL Recreation Program, will have his work featured it the show. His painting, which he created during the drop in Art Friday, a group that meets at the Ann Arbor CIL every Friday afternoon from 1-3; is one of many that Steve has created.

Peggy Page, who led the group for several months and helped Steve find his “voice” as a painter, will also be featured in the show. She is showing several pieces, many of which were also created during Art Friday.

The show will also feature artwork by Shirley Coombs, a former staff member of the CIL. Both Steve and Peggy will attend the show this evening. Stop by and check out their work, and the work of other local artists with disabilities.

Please RSVP for this event!  You can choose to attend the drum circle workshop, the free drum circle, or both. Just  please specify which you would like to attend in your RSVP.

To RSVP for the event, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ava HaberkornHalm at ava@aacil.org, or by phone at (734) 971-0277 ext. 55.

Hope to see you there!