Art Students Help Spruce Up Encinitas Farm
A small farm in Encinitas is now a little more beautiful, thanks to a group of students from Cal State San Marcos.
Last fall, students in the art, media and design class “Art and Social Change” completed a beautification project with community partner Encinitas Union School District Farm Lab, a 10-acre property and working organic farm that houses multiple components supporting health, wellness and enviro-literacy.
After pitching a design idea to the EUSD Farm Lab teaching team, the CSUSM students painted the site’s court for gaga (a variant of dodgeball) with colorful mural panels that coordinate with the farm’s environmental messaging. After encountering a rat on their first visit to the property, the students also had fun adding some stenciled rats around the property in the style of Banksy, the famed British street artist.
The course, AMD421, is taught by Kristin Moss, an associate professor in the art, media and design department. Moss said she wanted to collaborate with EUSD Farm Lab and site coordinator Julie Burton because of the strong alignment between the mission and values of the organization and CSUSM.
“Both of our institutions place a strong value on environmental sustainability and education, so I thought it would be a natural fit and a great opportunity for my students to get creatively involved with the community in North County,” Moss said.
Farm Lab is also home to the DREAMS (Design, Research, Engineering, Art, Math and Science) campus, which provides sustainability education to the more than 5,000 elementary students in the school district.
Though most of the students did not have experience in painting murals, Moss used a framework of personal leadership for them to work together and learn from each other.
“Though we had some setbacks with weather and supplies, overall I think students loved the unique opportunity to work outside together and create something that will be enjoyed by so many people,” she said. “It feels great to be able to be a part of something that has an impact in the community.”
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