The Literacy Council's planned Shakespeare garden will be an urban green space with a literary twist
By Lee B. Roberts
Journal Times | Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 12:00 am
What better inspiration for a garden surrounding the Racine Literacy Council than a writer who is considered a master of the English language? William Shakespeare - whose plays and poems are rich with references to flowers and plants - is the muse for a new garden project being planned by the Literacy Council.
Called the Urban Shakespeare Garden Walk for Literacy, the project is designed to create a unique urban botanical space that will be centered on the Literacy Council's grounds at 734 Lake Ave. Its ultimate goal is to encourage other properties between Seventh and Eighth streets along Lake Avenue to join in by planting their own displays of Shakespeare plants which, together with the RLC's gardens, will form a a public place where visitors can find quiet reflection and connect with nature.
"We have already talked to people at the YMCA and the Racine Public Library about the possibility and they seem excited about it," said Andrew McLean, retired University of Wisconsin-Parkside professor of English and Shakespeare scholar, who is one of the project's organizers.
The garden on the Literacy Council site will be planted in a variety of spaces including those surrounding the RLC parking lot on the north side, as well as the large space adjacent to the lot on the east side, which already has some plantings. A chain-link fence on the property's west side may be used to grow ivy and honeysuckle, and areas along the sidewalk will be planted as well, according to information from the project planning committee.
All of the plants featured in the garden - from flowers to herbs and trees - will have some connection to Shakespeare's writing, McLean said. Daisies, Shakespeare tells us, are "the measure of love" in the "War of the Roses," while fennel symbolizes strength and praiseworthiness, and woodbine married love and fidelity. Signs identifying the plants and their coordinating lines from Shakespeare's works, will be posted in the garden, he said. And other quotes from Shakespeare that are appropriate to the site - honoring words, reading and books - will be included as well.
"Because we acknowledge Shakespeare as a master of the English language, it is appropriate that this garden project promote language, reading and writing as an important part of life," says the project statement for the RLC's Urban Shakespeare Garden Walk.
Urbanizing the Bard
The RLC's Shakespeare Garden will not be the first to honor the Bard and his words. At least two dozen Shakespeare gardens, of varying sizes and scope, are listed on the Internet, most of which are located in botanical gardens, at Shakespeare festivals or on university campuses. Those closest to home seem to be at the Chicago Botanic Garden and at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Ill., where the Shakespeare Garden was designed by renowned Danish-American landscape architect and conservationist Jens Jensen (1860-1951), who is also credited for designing the Cook County Forest Preserve system and Racine's public park system.
What will make the Literacy Council's Shakespeare Garden project unique is its heart-of-the-city location - just east of Main Street and surrounded by the Courthouse, the County Jail and the ringing of Downtown church bells, according to McLean
"It will be an attempt to create green space in a totally urban area - to bring beauty and solitude into a busy, urban world," he said. "It will also offer those who come here to the Literacy Council to learn and tutor to have a refreshing moment in their comings and goings."
More than just plants and flowers, the RLC's Shakespeare Garden design calls for seats or benches where visitors can take respite while soaking in all it has to offer. And things such as a bust of Shakespeare or a sundial may be included to remind visitors of the garden's inspiration and the passing of time.
It will also feature an original mural painted by local artist Jerrold Belland on a free-standing wall behind the Literacy Council building. Measuring about 7 feet tall by 14 feet across, Belland's mural will be a text painting featuring a quote from Shakespeare's "Othello" which reads "Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens; to which our wills are gardeners."
The mural will emphasize the relationship between the written word and visual experience, within the context of an urban botanical setting, according to the RLC.
Belland, who often incorporates text into his artwork, says he feels his contribution to the Shakespeare Garden will be a natural fit.
"I think it will give me a chance to cut loose a little," he said. "To make a painting that size in a studio on canvas just isn't practical."
Belland, who has already made a mock-up of the mural, says he plans to start work on the mural as soon as the wall can be sandblasted and cleaned, and he hopes to have it completed by fall.
"I'm looking forward to it," he said.
Celebrate Shakespeare's birthday
All are invited to Shakespeare's Birthday Party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at the Red Onion Cafe, 555 Main St.
One of the highlights of this event - which will serve as a fundraiser for the Urban Shakespeare Garden project - will be an Edible Book Contest.
Made out of cake, the edible books will be served and/or auctioned off following the contest.
Other entertainment will include performances by Renaissance madrigal singers and actors, the sale and silent auction of Shakespeare-themed items (from custom made note cards to antiquarian illustrated books) food and cash wine bar.
Shakespeare garden plants, including lavender, rosemary and pansies, will also be sold.
Admission to the party is $10 per person, paid at the door.
For more information about this event, and other ways you can support the Shakespeare Garden project, call the Racine Literacy Council at (262) 632-9495 or go to: http://www.racineliteracy.com