Culture in the classroom

View larger image Geraldine Kiefer, associate professor of history at Shenandoah University, and Kevin Swoford, below, speaks at the dedication of a new Japanese rock garden on the school's main campus. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Dennis Grundman/Daily

Area students / Create garden for project / A piece of Asia

By Alex Bridges - abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- A class project for first-year Shenandoah University students aims to reduce flooding and bring a piece of Asian culture to campus.

Any water flowing through the new Japanese rock garden near Racey Ponds and Gregory Hall likely would have frozen for the project's dedication Monday afternoon.

Students enrolled in World Views in Art gathered around their creation, accompanied by their teacher, Geraldine Kiefer, as well as members of the landscape committee; physical plant director Gene Fisher, whose department helped build the garden; and environmental studies professor Woody Bousquet.

The dedication included the lighting of a Japanese lantern made by a student, as well as a reading of haiku, a traditional poetic form in Japan. Keifer lauded the class and others involved with the project for making the garden. In the near future, plans call for installation of a bench and a wooden gate in the style of one that would stand at the entrance of a garden in Japan, according to Kiefer.

The class began planning the project in October, according to Keifer, associate professor of art history. The course is part of the university's Going Global seminar program for incoming freshmen "to engage students and faculty in a shared process of inquiry around an interdisciplinary, global topic or question," according to a news release.

Coursework also includes Chinese brush painting, Buddhist and Hindu sculpture of India and Central American art.

"The purpose of these classes is to inculcate in students a global awareness by actual activities, experiences and projects, where they're not doing the traditional reading a textbook, writing finals and writing papers, although they may do that as a part of the class," Kiefer said after the dedication.

The garden consists of donated rocks of different sizes strategically and aesthetically placed in the bio-retention swale that weaves its way from a storm drain, under red, Asian-style bridges, to the ponds. Students planted shrubs and other plants along the swale.

Not only does it add to the campus aesthetics, but the garden will aid in the health of Abrams Creek by filtering rainwater run-off, organizers said. Bousquet lauded the class for creating "a place" on campus for open green space.

Fellow first-year students Megan Brown and Anthony Shields reflected on the work that went into making the garden. Brown said Kiefer took students on field trips to see examples from the cultures they studied.

The students acknowledged the class had a short time and limited resources to make the garden.

"After being in this class I have a new respect for Asian culture and their art, and I really enjoyed the hands-on experience that we had from building this garden," Shields said.