Students Learn about Nature; Showcase Art at The Green Center

 in University City has a student art exhibit now on display through the end of the month.

This past Thursday, the center hosted an opening reception for “Connecting with Nature” - an exhibit which features drawings, poetry, and photography - the majority done by 7th graders from Brittany Woods Middle School, who took part in a summer camp at The Green Center.

Twenty-four students participated in the program, attending every day for a week, said Jan Oberkramer, the interim executive director of the center. 

“The kids seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. If we can continue to connect the children with nature that’s a good thing,” said Irv Logan, the vice president of the board of The Green Center  “Being outside and being able to identify things they see around them, that’s the beginning of enlightenment. Then they can pass it on.”

Students like 12-year-old Ericah Brown of Brittany Woods talked with the University City Patch about her work.

Her project contains a photograph of a butterfly on a flower, a turtle she traced, and two drawings of wildlife and paint chip poetry, where the color sample names are integrated into poems.

Ericah had never heard of the program until her stepmother signed her up for it. “I thought it was going to be boring. It turned out great.” Her favorite part of the program was the photography class.

“They told us about how photographers take pictures,” she said, adding they showed how they light pictures before taking them.

The skills in the program, she said could be used in their backyard and in the classroom.

The skills in the program could be used in the student's backyard and in the classroom, said Kathleen Evans, program coordinator for The Green Center.  Evans said the artwork will be shown at Brittany Woods following the display at the center.

The program was made possible through a grant from the Harriet Woods Award, which the center received from the University City Education Foundation.

The late Harriet Woods was a former University City councilmember, and the first female lieutenant governor of the State of Missouri. Woods passed away in 2007 at the age of 79.

Oberkramer said that during the summer, members of the Poetry Center were on hand to help participants with writing, in addition to members of the Missouri Nature and Environmental Photographers who taught the kids photography skills - and also donated money toward the purchase of cameras for use in the program.

The exhibit runs through September 22, Monday through Friday. Interested visitors should call for exhibit hours at (314) 725-8314 or visit thegreencenter.org.