A mural for kids about native plants and animals. From pretty Poppies and yummy wild berries, to beautiful bugs and newts in the mud.
A quick update:
With funding at an amazing 150%, the mural has migrated to a more prominent location. I will be painting the wall directly to the right of the doors of the school library and I'll get to paint so much awesome wildlife into it, I can hardly believe it. I'm talking banana slugs, star tulips, soap root...and yes, bunnies. And now if we go over 200% I will be painting the wall to the left of the library entrance as well!
Original post:
Help me cover the walls of Emerson Elementary School with beautiful and often delicious native plant life! I’ve been asked by some of the parents at the school to paint a mural in the hallway between the kindergarten classrooms, unfortunately the school doesn’t have the funds to fully realize this wonderful idea.
Emerson Elementary is located in the Temescal neighborhood in Oakland, California. Having been born and raised in Oakland I am really excited to be putting some of myself back into my city. This mural will serve a very diverse community at Emerson. It is a California Title 1 school with a predominantly low-income student body — 79% of the 305 students qualify for reduced price/free lunches. The students are 55% African American, 18% Hispanic, 19% mixed race, and 19% are English language learners. And they could all be native plant experts with your help!
The mural is about the native plant and animal life of the Bay Area. Some of the plants I hope to include are, California Poppies, scrumptious Miner's Lettuce, Soap Root, Sticky Monkey Flower, Huckleberries, and some juicy Wild Strawberries. And of course if there are plants, you’ve got to have animals; there could be butterflies, hummingbirds, big bouncy grasshoppers and the shy, orange-bellied newt. Everything will be labeled with the Latin and common name, and additional information that kids will find interesting, like whether the plants are edible. Of course the more funding we get, the more diversity in plants and animals (bunnies) we can include, and the larger our mural can be!
My vision is not only to show the beauty of the species native to the area, but, to actually depict how they grow, and some of their uses. For example, would it be better to make soap out of this plant, or a salad? I’ve heard a few too many stories of kids growing up in cities who don’t know about where the food in the supermarket comes from, or are shocked to see carrots pulled from the ground, “Eewwww, they grow in the dirt?” they’ve exclaimed. Since when did kids start thinking dirt is gross anyway? So, in this mural I’m going back to the basics; plants grow in the ground and sometimes you can eat them. It will be a little reminder that all our food started somewhere long before it got to the store, usually in a nice pile of manure. By depicting edible native plants, such as the wild strawberry, that resemble their cousins seen in the supermarket, kids might see those big red berries in the store and realize they were plucked from a plant, that grew in the dirt.
My budget of $900 will cover the cost of materials, and make it so I can give the mural my full attention and don’t have to take on other work for the duration of the project. And remember, on Kickstarter, you can always go over your goal, but not under. The more the funding goes over the goal, the more time I can put into the mural.(and the more plants and little creatures can go in too!)
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about this project and make sure to check out our rewards on the right side of the page!
You can see some of my botanical illustrations and small guoache studies on my blog http://tenayalena.tumblr.com/
FAQ
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Of course you can! Just please keep in mind that it costs more to ship rewards internationally. If you're giving in the $15 or $25 range please add $2 to your contribution. Anything between $50 and $75 add $3 and $100 and above $4. Thank you for helping.
48
Backers
$1,777
pledged of $900 goal
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Funding period
Jul 27, 2011 -
Aug 31, 2011
(35 days)
- First created · 0 backed
- Tenaya Gunter Brown 301 friends
- Website: tenayalena.tumblr.com
Pledge $5 or more
6 backers
Thank you so much! Every little bit really does help. You will be receiving a digital thank you card with one of my drawings as the image.
Pledge $15 or more
10 backers
When you contribute $15 or more, you will receive 2 postcards featuring images of my botanical illustrations and a thank you note from me.
Pledge $25 or more
13 backers
When you contribute $25 or more, you get a set of 5 sheets of stationary, illustrated with an image of newts crawling amongst oak leaves, with room for your handwritten letter in the center. You will also get 2 botanical postcards and a thank you note from me.
Pledge $50 or more
6 backers
When you contribute $50 or more, you'll receive an 8x10 print of an image from the finished mural and a personal thank you note from me with a quick sketch on it. You will also get 2 botanical illustration postcards.
Pledge $75 or more
2 backers
When you contribute $75 or more, you'll receive an 8x10 print of an image from the finished mural. And a personal thank you card from a kindergarten kid! You will also get 5 sheets of stationary with an illustration of newts amongst oak leaves with room for your handwritten letter in the center, plus a thank you note from me.
Pledge $100 or more
1 backer
When you contribute $100 or more, you'll receive 4 botanical illustration postcards, 5 sheets of stationary with an illustration of newts and oak trees with room for your handwritten letter in the center, and an 8x10 print of an image from the finished mural. You’ll also get a personal thank you card from a kindergarten kid and a hand written thank you note with a quick sketch on it from me!
Pledge $200 or more
1 backer Limited (9 of 10 left)
When you contribute $200 or more, you will have sponsored a flower or plant! It will say "Planted by *your name*" next to a plant on the mural. You will receive 4 botanical illustration postcards, 5 sheets of stationary with an illustration of newts and oak trees with room for your handwritten letter in the center, and an 8x10 print of an image from the finished mural. You’ll also get a personal thank you card from a kindergarten kid and a hand written thank you note with a quick sketch on it from me.
Pledge $400 or more
0 backers Limited (5 of 5 left)
When you contribute $400 or more you will receive a signed and numbered print of one of my botanical illustrations. You will also have sponsored a flower or plant! It will say "Planted by *your name*" next to a plant on the mural. You'll be getting 4 botanical illustration postcards, 5 sheets of stationary and an 8x10 print of an image from the finished mural. A personal thank you card from a kindergarten kid and a hand written thank you note with a quick sketch from me will be coming your way!
Pledge $800 or more
0 backers Limited (2 of 2 left)
You get to choose between an original botanical illustration *or* a partly foraged meal for 2(supplemented by local organic ingredients) cooked by yours truly! Depending on the season, this could include lettuces, nettles, chanterelles, berries and more! (The second option is limited to people in the Bay Area) Plus, you will have sponsored a plant! It will say "Planted by *your name*" next to a plant on the mural. You'll also receive 4 botanical illustration postcards, 5 sheets of stationary and an 8x10 print of an image from the finished mural. And, of course, a personal thank you card from a kindergarten kid and a hand written thank you note with a sketch on it from me!
