Art + Artists

Joan Bankemper completed a BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Joan has experience as a horticultural therapist and has created other community gardens in New York City, San Antonio, Texas, and Palermo, Italy. She creates site-specific garden installations and, decorated with her ceramic sculptures, these installations blur the boundaries between art and nature. Joan believes that urban collaborations involving children or senior citizens help to open up a dialogue on the contemplative, restorative, and energizing effects of gardens on both mind and community. While in residence at McColl Center, she will conceive of and help to build a community garden with the residents of Fourth Ward to emphasize the spirit of creation and camaraderie while transforming an underutilized area into a beautiful and functional meeting space for all to enjoy.