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August 2021
UNLOCK ─ An in-progress performance by Propelled Animals
After two-weeks of residence at the Schuylkill Center the performance group Propelled Animals will present the in-progress performance UNLOCK. The performance is part of the group’s multi-year effort to creatively decolonize natural spaces through visual art and dance. They will roam and lead a guided procession centering on environmental justice, anti-racism, and healing lineages. Collective members Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Raquel Monroe, and Heidi Wiren Bartlett in collaboration with guest artists Tchin, Crux, and Emma White Thunder will interweave in their performance…
Find out more »The Artist Is In
Meet the artist Iraqi designer Yaroub Al-Obaidi at the Iraqi guesthouse (Al Mudhif) for conversation and reflection. A mudhif is where special community events like weddings and birthday celebrations occur, but also where conflicting parties go to discuss and resolve differences. Special coffee ceremonies are held there as well, often hosted by the local sheikh, the tribal leader or elder. Conceived and created by Iraqi designer, immigrant Yaroub Al-Obaidi along with environmental artist Sarah Kavage, the mudhif is constructed entirely of…
Find out more »September 2021
Reconciliation – A Healing Encounter
Two decades after the trauma of 9/11 and subsequent American military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the moral injuries experienced by veterans fundamentally unsettled their beliefs. We brought together Iraqi refugees, U.S. veterans and the public for the construction of Al Mudhif — an Iraqi ceremonial guesthouse entirely made out of invasive wetland reeds. Visitors will be led on a walk with wildlife expert Elizabeth Ellman, enjoy Iraqi tea/coffee, and listen to the sound recordings of veteran voices speaking about…
Find out more »The Artist Is In
Meet the artist Iraqi designer Yaroub Al-Obaidi at the Iraqi guesthouse (Al Mudhif) for conversation and reflection. A mudhif is where special community events like weddings and birthday celebrations occur, but also where conflicting parties go to discuss and resolve differences. Special coffee ceremonies are held there as well, often hosted by the local sheikh, the tribal leader or elder. Conceived and created by Iraqi designer, immigrant Yaroub Al-Obaidi along with environmental artist Sarah Kavage, the mudhif is constructed entirely of…
Find out more »October 2021
Trek ‘n Game (interactive card game)
From 2–4pm, guests will stroll along our trails, responding to prompts that are silly, physical, reflective, and everything in between—finding and deepening their connections to the natural world. Featuring three distinct, beautifully illustrated card decks, each card has its own challenge or question. The card game, Aqua Marooned!, casts players as extraterrestrial explorers sent to explore earth’s mysterious “watersphere.” Vibrant pictures of plants, animals, and land are paired with prompts that ask players to get creative, use their bodies, reflect…
Find out more »Cultural Roots: Jewish-Iraqi Food and Conversation
Enjoy spicy and aromatic Jewish-Iraqi cuisine with chef Annabel Rabiyah of Awafi Kitchen (Boston), and discover the rich history of the Jewish Iraqi diaspora in the United States. Chef Annabel will demonstrate traditional recipes, and participants will taste a hearty Iraqi style beet stew (Kubba Schwandar) with optional meat dumplings, served with tea. While breaking homemade bread in our Iraqi guesthouse, we’ll talk with Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz, cook Annabel Rabiyah, and artists of Al Mudhif Yaroub Al-Obaidi and Sarah Kavage, together exploring food, culture, and belonging. Space…
Find out more »December 2021
LESS IS MORE: Gallery Opening Reception
Celebrate the opening of Makeba Rainey’s new exhibition “LESS IS MORE: The Nature of Letting Go” with a restorative walk through the grounds and a conversation between the artist and collaborator Dominique London, facilitated by culture worker and healer Hakim Pitts. They’ll discuss the exhibition’s inspirations, Rainey’s printmaking process, finding sustenance in community, working with nature, and more. In her exhibition, Makeba Rainey will create meditative and restorative spaces in the gallery and outdoors, exploring how Black folks can access…
Find out more »January 2022
Day-Off Camp: Environmental Art
Environmental art or “eco-art” is created by artists who are concerned about local and global environmental issues. The art often improves an area environmentally and highlights a specific environmental and/or social issue. Learn about our environmental art installations and create your own eco-art to take home. In addition to learning about and creating environmental art, campers will also work on a service project for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Day-off camps are for children ages 5-12 years old.…
Find out more »March 2022
In Color Birding
Spot nature’s feathered species along our trails with Philadelphia-based In Color Birding Club. Offered alongside the gallery exhibition LESS IS MORE: The Nature of Letting Go, this outing will begin with a grounding in community and include periods of silence for reflection as well as joyful interactions with nature, birds, and each other. The outing is specifically for the BIPOC community. All access needs will be accommodated; please let us know. As space is limited to 40 participants, registration is…
Find out more »April 2022
Art Opening Companions
Celebrate the opening of the new interactive art exhibition and installation “Companions - mas masarap magkasama'' at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education with a foraging walk, Filipino folk music and conversation with the artists. This opening reception includes a new gallery exhibition and outdoor installation created by Maria Dumlao and Bahay215 (Nicky Uy and Omar Buenaventura). In a series of interactive photographs and a site-specific installation—inspired by bahay kubo structures in the Philippines—the exhibition explores and ushers in dialogue…
Find out more »LandLab Info session (online)
Curious about the Schuylkill Center's LandLab Artist-in-Residence program? Join Tina Plokarz, Director of Environmental Art virtually and ask all of your questions! We'll tell you more about the residency, its goals and the application process.
Find out more »May 2022
Art Kids Tour
Bring your kids and explore with Tina Plokarz, Director of Environmental Art, as she takes you to art installations along the trails at the Schuylkill Center. We will linger at our newest exhibition Companions - mas masarap magkasama by Filipino artists Maria Dumlao and Bahay215 and learn how migrants approach food in a new home. These artists have created innovative adaptations of traditional Filipino recipes using plants native to the Philadelphia area—and we’ll get to taste! Program is best suited…
Find out more »LandLab Info session
Curious about the Schuylkill Center's LandLab Artist-in-Residence program?
Find out more »Al Mudhif Stories & Photos
Last year we entered the experimental endeavor of building the first Iraqi guesthouse in North America with invasive reed material. But due to hurricane damage and decay over the winter, it has become necessary to dismantle Al Mudhif. Before we'll jointly take down the installation, take your last picture at the mudhif; share a story of your encounter with the installation; and restore your connection to nature and others. Artists Yaroub Al-Obaidi and Sarah Kavage will be collecting your thoughts…
Find out more »Al Mudhif Stories & Photos
Last year we entered the experimental endeavor of building the first Iraqi guesthouse in North America with invasive reed material. But due to hurricane damage and decay over the winter, it has become necessary to dismantle Al Mudhif. Before we'll jointly take down the installation, take your last picture at the mudhif; share a story of your encounter with the installation; and restore your connection to nature and others. Artists Yaroub Al-Obaidi and Sarah Kavage will be collecting your thoughts…
Find out more »Al Mudhif – A Renewal
Last year the Schuylkill Center brought together Iraqi refugees, U.S. veterans, and the public for the construction of Al Mudhif, entirely made out of invasive wetland reeds. The Iraqi guesthouse and sanctuary served for healing and community in nature. Exactly a year later, this Memorial Day we invite you to a last farewell to the mudhif. We’ll jointly take down the installation and hand over its material into the grounds. Composting the reed materials onsite, we will return it to…
Find out more »July 2022
Art Workshop in RGB with Maria Dumlao
Pineapple on SPAM garnished with the colors of light red, green and blue – these are the natural and metaphorical ingredients from botany to commerce that are assembled into colorful prints by Maria Dumlao in our newest exhibition, Companions. Join us for a hands-on exploration into the hidden stories of indigenousness, colonization, and food culture between the Philippines and North America by learning from the artist about her practice and experiment with colors in the gallery. We'll be making art…
Find out more »Restoration Volunteer Workday: Caring for a Late Succession Forest
See our woodland wildflowers and berries in full bloom as we spend the morning caring for habitats along our Wildflower Loop. Learn about what it means to be a 'late succession' forest and how to care for this vital ecosystem for long term sustainability. This workday will include the moving of woody materials and the use of hand tools. We recommend wearing long pants and sturdy boots and bringing a pair of gloves if you have them available. No experience…
Find out more »September 2022
Live play-in of Aqua Marooned!
We join with the Mural Arts Institute for a live play-in of Aqua Marooned! as you hike the trails. This event is a family-friendly way to explore our 340 acres of land with the Aqua Marooned! extraterrestrial characters as explorers are sent to learn Earth’s mysterious “watersphere.” Aqua Marooned! is a new card game that premiered in Fall 2021 across the Delaware River Watershed, commissioned by the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River (AWE). The game is part…
Find out more »October 2022
Art Opening Forest Makings
The Center’s new environmental art exhibition, Forest Makings, explores practices of today's forest conservation. It features a series of sculptures, weavings and installations. Experiencing this exhibit will shed light on our forests’ environmental benefits, current threats as a result of climate change, and its management in response to survival of biodiversity and economic desire. Following a guided hike through our forest with educator Sam Bucciarelli, we’ll enjoy music by drummers and instrument makers Rich Robinson and Karen Smith, and light…
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