Workshop is FREE but participants must register www.freedomsbackyard.com

#HGElephants is the official hashtag for the Elephants on the Avenue – Race, Class and Community in Historic Germantown project.

Like the natural world and its seasons of change, personal transformation works in cycles and shifting points of view.

Join artist BEN VOLTA at the Awbury Arboretum for a mindful walk through the woods of your own memory. Revisit moments of acceptance and achievement, pride and joy, loss and loneliness through writing exercises and hands-on art making inspired by the wise, old trees of Awbury that have been silently watching over the Germantown community for over 200 years. The stone wall that surrounds the arboretum also has a story -a complicated one-with conflicting themes of Inclusion/Exclusion, Public/Private, Natural/Man-Made reflected within its architecture. Workshop participants will engage in small group dialogue exploring the different “walls” and “boundaries” that can hold us back from growth. We will also consider the obstacles that inspire us to not only overcome limitations, but strive for acceptance, tolerance and growth within our community. Come create your own Reflection Branch keepsake to hang in your window or adorn your porch! This artful mediation will lead into a larger artwork created in 2017 and serve as a luminous reminder of the ever-evolving relationship between humanity and nature and the memories that can transform us from the inside out. No previous art experience required.