Since its opening in April, over 500 primary school students have visited Volkshortus Selwerd. The greenhouse and meeting place in the heart of the Selwerd neighborhood, which has now grown into a green paradise, serves as the inspiration for an educational program developed by Kunstpunt Groningen specifically for children from the neighborhood. A tactile experience, involving hands-on activities, is at the core of the program. Students can create their own plant artwork and make clay pots, among other activities. "It's just fun to work with your hands," says one of the children.
This neighborhood project offers us an excellent opportunity to engage with the children in Selwerd through visual art
In a short period of time, the greenhouse has become a place where children enjoy coming. They meet each other, sow new plants, but above all, they see it as their place in the neighborhood, where they share a sense of responsibility. The underlying idea of the program is to represent stories of people through plants and art, which is also central to Volkshortus. The great diversity of nationalities in the neighborhood is represented through plants. "This neighborhood project offers us an excellent opportunity to engage with the children in Selwerd through visual art," says Tynke Boomsma, project leader of education at Kunstpunt. "We provide all students with free access to Volkshortus. We wanted to do something with them that is not always done in the classroom. That's why we chose to work with clay. Just like gardening in the greenhouse, it involves a lot of hands-on activities."
Tailored Workshops
Students from nearby primary schools CBS de Wegwijzer, OBS de Pendinghe, and dr. Bekenkampschool participated in the program. To cater to the students' needs, different workshops were developed for each age group. Inspired by a visit to Volkshortus, the 1st and 2nd graders worked on creating their own plant artwork using various colors and shapes. In the 3rd and 4th grades, students traced plant shapes in clay, while children from 5th to 8th grade made their own clay flower pots.
Unforgettable Summer
During the summer vacation, children can also visit the greenhouse for a free activities program. As part of the "Unforgettable Summer SPT," an initiative by all parties involved in activities for children in the Selwerd, Paddepoel, and Tuinwijk neighborhoods, children aged 6 to 12 can come to the greenhouse every Friday morning between 10 am and 1 pm to engage in craft activities.
Volkshortus Selwerd
The greenhouse was conceived by artists Saskia Janssen and George Korsmit. The plants in the greenhouse are chosen by residents of the neighborhood and represent the more than 80 nationalities in the area. Local residents can grow their own plants for free and participate in various activities. For example, on Sunday, July 9th, biologist Tinde van Andel will be in the greenhouse to talk about plants. Volkshortus Selwerd will remain until October. The art project was commissioned by Kunstpunt Groningen in collaboration with the Municipality of Groningen and Nijestee.