Stepping off the Path: Resting Places in Zone 5 will address issues of sustainability within the Audubon Center at Debs Park through the creation of a site-determined installation that focuses on connecting to nature through the creation of resting places in Zone 5. We will create sanctuaries made of natural materials found on site for people to sit, meditate, and connect with their surroundings on a visceral level. Our aim is to build comfortable seats where people will want to linger and therefore connect with and understand the essence of the place, rather than just pass through on a footpath.

Kelly Nicholson is an artist and environmental educator recently relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area from Brooklyn, NY. She was raised on a farm in rural Ohio, and continues to spend time there, which directly informs and influences her ideas and processes. She uses yarn and thread to weave networks among natural materials to draw attention to the spaces in between objects, illustrating a belief in the interconnectedness of all things. Her use of natural materials in the creation of art, and a concern for the preservation and sustainability of Earth has led her to connect art with an interest in environmental education, primarily focusing on facilitating a sense of
place and a connection between children living in an urban habitat to the natural world.

Jenna Robinson is an artist who recently moved to the Los Angeles
area from Brooklyn, NY for a Masters in Art Education at California State University, Long Beach. Before relocating, she taught fiber arts in the holistic Quaker School, Friends Seminary. She has exhibited drawings and mix media embroideries concentrating on themes of connection and association. Since being in California, Jenna’s work focuses more on designing systems that are made of unconventional and natural materials that enable people to interact and connect to the environment around them.

Location: Butterfly Loop Trail