Campus News: Christina Dietz Designs Parklet

Lower School Woodworking Teacher Christina Dietz received a commission from The SSJ Neighborhood Network in Northwestern Pennsylvania to design and fabricate a parklet—or pop-up park—atop a 19-foot utility trailer. Dietz, a practicing artist, submitted a proposal with fellow artist Henry Pullin (a landscape architecture student) to the organization for a unique pop-up kitchenette that personifies a space often referred to as “the heart of a home.”

“The kitchen is a meeting space; a place for sustenance, to do homework, to practice for job interviews, and to share daily joys and sorrows,” said Dietz in her proposal. “It is a place for bustling activity and community. I hope this parklet feels cozy and familiar, and that neighbors will get to know each other over a cup of coffee in the kitchen.”

The parklet is a kitchen-inspired meeting space with a free library (disguised as a refrigerator), seating area, garden beds, and table space that can be used for both work and play. Colorful and weather resistant, the parklet features joyful details that captivate imagination, especially for children. Visitors can pretend to set an egg timer on the stove or reach for a carved wooden oven mitt hanging on the wall. The parklet can also be used as a gathering and potluck space, with plenty of counter space to serve meals.

Dietz built the parklet at Peck, where students could see the process and learn a little bit about community-inspired art. “This project coincided with our lessons about Public Art in Third Grade Woodworking,” said Dietz. “Classes were super excited to visit the final product in person. It was an opportunity for students to see the process of a large-scale project and realize that art can happen outside of a museum or classroom.”

First Grade Teacher Christa Nees said that, “It was such a valuable experience for my first graders. They were able to make a connection between Christina’s process for the parklet and the process they went through when designing and building our three-dimensional community!”

Dietz and her colleague Pullin began construction in January, and delivered the completed piece to Erie, PA, in late spring.