Spring Color and Life Comes To Boxerwood

Some scenes at Boxerwood on April 30th.  You can see the color of spring coming out even on a rainy day.

Scenes From Yesterday's Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day Celebrated at Boxerwood April 27th

Strut your recycled stuff down the Trashion Fashion Show runway at Boxerwood on Sunday, April 27

Join trashion models and recyclartists at Boxerwood this Sunday afternoon (April 27) from 1:00 to 4:00 for the nature center’s first-ever Trashion Fashion Show.

“It’s going to be the zaniest Earth Day celebration in Rockbridge since the Trash Mob parade of 2011,” promises Faith Vosburgh, the event coordinator. (Boxerwood was behind that lollapalooza as well.) “Participating in the Trashion show is another fun way to be eco-creative and do a little something to help save the planet.”

Kicking off the event will be a runway show at 1:30 featuring “upcycled” clothing designer Lark Waxwings, a Charlottesville artist who uses only found objects and discarded materials to create wearable art. “Lark is making her own ‘trashion statement’ about the importance of recycling,” says Faith Vosburgh. “She takes what other people throw away and transforms it into something beautiful and useful.”

Immediately following the runway show will be three 90-minute trash art workshops. Attendees can make DIY (Design-It-Yourself) Trashion Fashions with Lark Waxwings; build a Recycled Instrument with local musician and Trash Band leader, Roy Fauber; or try their hands at Twig Sculpting with Earth-artist and engineer, Jay Sullivan.

The event will close with a Community Trashion Fashion Show at 3:30, this one featuring Halestone dancers high-stepping down the catwalk in trash-tufted tutus, local artists strutting their artsy attire, and workshop participants modeling trashion fashions or playing recycled instruments with the Trash Band.

Prizes will be awarded for the best Trashion Fashions. “Professional” Trashion Designers (adult artists) who model upcycled clothing created in their studios can compete for a $100 cash prize for Best in Trashion Show or Most Artistic Re-Use of Materials.  All other participants can compete for Trash Trophies (no two alike!) in a variety of categories, including Up-and-Coming Trashion Designer (ages 12 and under), Trashion Trendsetter (ages 13-17), High-End Trashion Designer (ages 18 and older). Contest rules and prizes are posted on the Boxerwood webpage (www.boxerwood.org/events).

Trashion Fashions may be created either at home or at Boxerwood on the day of the event, but must be made of at least 75% recycled or reused materials. Contestants will be asked to describe how their garments were constructed, and to choose an environmental factoid about the materials they used that an announcer can read as they model their outfits.

Admission to the Trashion Fashion show is free, but everyone is asked to BYOT – Bring Your Own Trash. Boxerwood is collecting all kinds of clean rubbish and recyclables – everything from soda can tabs and broken toys to old shoes, incomplete decks of cards, and plant prunings. A long list of materials can be found on the Boxerwood webpage.

Local artists, artisans and musicians who would like to model their own upcycled attire, help construct the Trashion runway, perform in a Trash Band, or give young Trashion designers a hand during the workshops should contact Faith Vosburgh (faith@boxerwood.org) for more information.  They may also be interested to know that Sherri Smith, director of the Artisans Center of Virginia (ACV), will be available at the event to provide information about ACV, a state-designated nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the economic opportunities of small business artisans and the communities in which they reside. 

 Rules for the Trashion Fashion Show:

 ·        Garments should be made of at least 75% recycled or reused material.

·        Recycled materials can be attached to another piece of clothing.

·        Footwear, hats, belts, and other trashion accessories may be part of an outfit.

·        Trashion Fashion designers may ask others to model their clothing.

·        Models must be able to walk down the runway without their outfit coming apart.

·        Family-friendly Trashion fashions, please!

Boxerwood Site For River Rat Training

Boxerwood has entered into a partnership with the James River Association in support of their River Rat Monitoring Program.  The mission and work of both groups are closely linked in educating our community about water sheds and their relationship to water quality.

JRA and its James Riverkeepers are recruiting the James River’s first line of citizen defense, the RiverRats. This program engages volunteers to patrol the James and its tributaries and to take action to protect and restore the entire watershed. Whether walking a neighborhood stream, kayaking a local river, or boating the wide reaches of the lower James, JRA RiverRats will document potential pollution sources and their effects while also reporting natural patterns in river hydrology and wildlife sightings. A scientific background is not required. Training and equipment will be provided.

RiverRats will be proactive in protecting their river by committing to action projects in their communities. By helping JRA keep watch over our waterways and inspiring their neighbors to choose clean water, RiverRats will play a vital role in protecting and restoring America’s Founding River.

Saturday, April 26 9:00 am – 2:00 pm RiverRats Training - Lexington
Training for JRA’s RiverRats program, to be held at Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden, 963 Ross Road, Lexington, VA. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Boxerwood Partnering With Artisans

The Staff and Board at Boxerwood have entered into a partnership with the Artisans Center of Virginia in an effort to work together to bring art into the Boxerwood Garden.

"We are hoping that this relationship will help us to introduce Boxerwood to local artisans to provide inspiration for their craft.  In turn, we also are hoping for this to result in art to be displayed in the garden," says Managing Director Bruce Bytnar.

To learn more, go to the following links;

Boxerwood on the Artisans Web Site

Artisans Center of Virginia

Rockbridge Master Naturalists Sponsoring "Tick Talk"

Tea and Training At Boxerwood

There will be a Tea and Training Session for Boxerwood Volunteers and the public on Thursday, April 17 at 2pm. Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs will be the topic of discussion and then viewing with Horticulturalist Faith Vosburgh.

The magnolias are blooming here at Boxerwood! Come learn what other woody plants are flowering and then enjoy a walk through the gardens.