Following a walk and interpretive talk about Peterborough’s Ashburnham Memorial Park this fall, local elementary school students put their impressions on canvas to capture the varied vistas and flora and fauna of the urban forest in Peterborough.
The experience has culminated in a art exhibit at the Peterborough Museum & Archives running now through to December 30.
Called “Open Your Eyes,” the project was spearheaded by the Ashburnham Memorial Stewardship Group (AMSG), a local volunteer-driven organization dedicated to conserving, improving, and appreciating Ashburnham Memorial Park, better known to locals as Armour Hill.
Among other activities, the organization leads clean-ups of the park every spring and fall.
This past fall, the group partnered with Kaawaatte East City Public School — which is located within Ashburnham Memorial Park — to offer outdoor art education for students so they could learn more about the natural habitat of the park.
Volunteers with the group took 25 Grade 7 and 8 students from the school on the hike and interpretive talk about the park. Local artist and instructor Laurel Paluck then guided the students on site afterwards through art activities and the techniques of painting outdoors.
Jane Wild, AMSG volunteer, hopes Open Your Eyes proves to be educational for the general public as it was for the students.
“Everyone loves the Armour toboggan hill, but the park offers so much more,” Wild said. “It’s an important urban forest with diverse flora and fauna, hiking trails, beautiful vistas, and an opportunity to bird watch and sky gaze. The AMSG aims to conserve, improve and foster appreciation of Peterborough’s natural resource.”
“Open Your Eyes is a project to encourage reflection on the importance of Ashburnham Memorial Park. It’s heartening to take the students outside, to react to the bounty of nature at our doorstep, to absorb the sensations of wind, light, and grasses at your feet, and to practise sketching and painting without the distractions of the classroom,” Wild explained.
“Through this project, we hope everyone comes away with an appreciation for the importance of both nature and of art,” Wild noted.
The students’ artworks are on display in the lower level of Peterborough Museum & Archives at 300 Hunter Street East until December 30. The museum is open 9 a.m. to noon on December 22, closed December 23 through 26, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from December 27 through 29, and open from Noon to 5 p.m. on December 30.
Those interested in learning more about the Ashburnham Memorial Stewardship Group can visit the group’s website at ashburnhamstewardship.com.
