Spring 2018 – Meadow Mind: Cultivating an Urban Garden

MEADOW MIND: CULTIVATING AN URBAN GARDENGenine Lentine6 sessions >> Saturday, February 17–March 2411am–2pm, Chestnut Street Campus Meadow + Studio 21, $295No prerequisite. This class is open to all; new and more experienced gardeners will emerge with fresh ideas and skills. Our work in the garden will always include options that allow you to participate at whatever level of physical activity is comfortable.
Come dig in the fresh spring soil in the historic SFAI meadow, a sloping green haven at the northeast corner of campus, frequented by hummingbirds, hawks, and swallowtails, and home to a venerable California Buckeye, and an encompassing redwood. Over six Saturdays, we'll plant and care for vegetables, herbs, and flowers and explore such core garden practices as soil-building, plant care, seed starting, and pruning, and composting. As we take part in the rhythms of the garden, the garden will cultivate our own capacities for observation, empathy, and resilience.
Our class meetings will include collaborating on a garden project, as well as tending existing plantings throughout the meadow. Course readings will provide fundamental principles of gardening and permaculture, growing California native plants, gardening for wildlife, and extend connections to poetry, art, and science.Each session will also include conversation springing from readings and observations, and a period of more solitary time as well, in which you can write, draw, make notes, meditate, or otherwise follow your own interests. In addition to the work we'll do as a group, you will receive individual guidance in starting or further developing your own garden. Optional garden hours will be offered outside of class time to allow for more time to develop class projects and practices.
____Genine Lentine is the author of Poses: An Essay Drawn from the Model (Kelly’s Cove, 2012) and Mr. Worthington's Beautiful Experiments on Splashes (New Michigan Press, 2010).  She is also co-author, with Stanley Kunitz of The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden (W.W. Norton, 2005). She received an M.S. in Theoretical Linguistics from Georgetown University, an M.F.A. in Poetry from New York University, and residencies from Montalvo Arts Center, and Hedgebrook, and University of Arizona Poetry Center.  She co-founded a thriving CSA in Virginia, and worked on the garden crew at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. In 2018, she’ll be teaching an interdisciplinary gardening course at St. Mary’s College. She teaches writing and Contemporary Practice at San Francisco Art Institute, and frequently holds class in the meadow.geninelentine.com
Image courtesy of the artist.

PLEASE NOTE: Public Education courses are held contingent on a minimum enrollment, which is determined  up to 24 hours in advance of the class start date. Public Education Staff will contact you ONLY if there is a course cancellation or change. 

FAQs
What is the refund policy?You can view the SFAI Public Education refund policy on the SFAI website here.


Refund requests must be made in writing to [email protected].
For courses that meet for ten sessions or more, a 100% refund minus a $20 processing fee is given if written notice is received at least five business days before the first class. After five business days before the first class, an 80% refund minus a $20 processing fee is given when written notice is received prior to the third class. No refund is given after the class has met three times. Please allow two to three weeks to receive your refund.
For courses that meet for six sessions or fewer, a 100% refund minus a $20 processing fee is given when written notice is received at least five business days before the first class. After five business days before the first class, an 80% refund minus a $20 processing fee is given when written notice is received prior to the second class. No refund is given after the class has met two times. Please allow two to three weeks to receive your refund.


What materials (if any) will I need to bring to class?Each course requires specific materials that we ask you bring to your first class session so you can get started making right away. Materials lists are available approximately two weeks prior to the course start date. Visit the SFAI website here, click on your course title, and then click on the blue "Materials List" link underneath the course dates. If you have any questions regarding materials, please contact Public Education Staff.What are my transport/parking options getting to San Francisco Art Institute?All classes meet at 800 Chestnut Street (unless otherwise noted), between Jones and Leavenworth. You can find directions to campus on the SFAI website.
SFAI is located in a residential neighborhood, and free two-hour parking is available on all of the streets immediately surrounding the school. The two-hour restriction cuts off at 9pm, so evening Public Education students do not need to move their car, unless you arrive prior to 7pm.SFAI is easily accessible via public transportation, with Muni bus lines #30 Stockton, and #47 Van Ness located within a few blocks of campus.I have a question that isn't on this list. Who can I contact?SFAI Public Education Staff are always happy to answer any questions you may have about the Public Education program, or our courses. We are in the office Monday–Friday from 9am to 5pm. Call us at: 415.749.4554 or e-mail: [email protected]