time to heal joplin butterfly garden + overlook
Dedicated to the People of Joplin. The Butterfly Garden and Overlook is an Open Space Sacred Place for individuals to work through the pain of loss─a loved one, a home, a community.
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open space sacred place
a place for healing
“As I sit here on this bench, I feel the peace. This Butterfly Garden is a true blessing.�
- anonymous entry in tkf journal on 5.23.2014
butterfly pavilion and tkf bench. img 1.1
Š time to heal joplin butterfly garden and overlook process booklet by trevor wellman [trevrwell.com]
copyright 2016 funded by tkf foundation and walmart foundation.
All rights reserved. This document may not be duplicated in any way without the expressed written consent of the publisher, except in the form of brief excerpts or quotations for the purposes of review. Making copies of this document, or any portion of it for any purposes other than your own, is in violation of United States copyright laws.
Drury Design-Build Program Drury University 900 North Benton Ave, Springfield, MO 65802 drury.edu/architecture/butterfly-gardens-and-overlook/
time to heal joplin butterfly garden + overlook
This work was supported in part by afrom grant from This work was supported part a grant from This work was supported in in part by by a grant TKF Foundation, the TKF Foundation, as part of the Nature Sacred thethe TKF Foundation, National Awards program. part Nature Sacred National Awards as as part of of thethe Nature Sacred National Awards program. program. Additional funding was also provided by the Walmart Foundation.
TKF is providing $4.5 million in funding for six research projects designed to scientifically prove the inherent value and need for nearby, open access to urban nature. It is our hope that these studies will demonstrate how nature in the city can provide sacred, spiritual and healing experiences for individuals and communities. The Nature Sacred National Awards Program features the creation of urban green spaces in a variety of settings from a hospital, a senior housing community, the neglected site of a former military hospital and cemetery, to areas affected by natural disasters. Within these settings, as well as the use of past TKF sites, researchers are embarking on numerous rigorous studies to define and measure the restorative impact of urban green space on visitors’ well-being. These examples of high quality design and research will elevate public awareness about the necessity and value of tranquil places where people can contemplate, reflect and find restoration. Each of the projects align with TKF’s mission of treating human health and the environment as an integrated whole. The Butterfly Garden and Overlook was designed and built as part of the TKF Landscapes of Resilience grant. Researchers are exploring how nature can help influence and strengthen personal and community restoration and resilience in times of crisis—including in the aftermath of 2011 tornado in Joplin, MO and Hurricane Sandy in Queens, NY.
table of contents
introduction
12
grant team members
18
2011 joplin tornado destruction
design project concept development
22
construction parks and recreation construction progress
drury build week drury Smartmob ! and music rejuvenation station communty planting day
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38
32 40
completion ribbon cutting ceremony completed project
42 44
research and development tkf journal entries
54
conclusion contributors
end notes
60 64
“I realized my hometown, where I have grown up all my life, will never be the same again. My children will never be able to see it the way I did. - david willard
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tornado destruction
Cunningham Park is the oldest park in Joplin and has grown into a sacred destination within the community. It was considered “Ground Zero” for the EF-5 Tornado on May 22, 2011. On the first anniversary of the storm, the park became a destination for more than 10,000 people as they walked the six mile “Walk of Unity” and attended the Memorial Ceremony. On any given day, the park is known to see anywhere from 1,200 – 1,500 visitors.
cunningham park tornado destruction. img 1.2
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tornado destruction
At 5:42pm on May 22, 2011, the EF-5 Tornado reached its highest intensity. At this time, the tornado was located at 26th and Maiden Lane, Ground Zero for the storm. St. John’s Regional Medical Center once stood at this intersection, however, the 200 MPH winds of the tornado wreaked havoc inside the hospital and moved the entire hospital four inches from where it normally stood. The original hospital was founded in October of 1896 while the most recent expansion happened in 1968 including two connecting buildings. The hospital was a hefty nine stories. However, on May 22, 2011, one of America’s strongest tornados ripped the building to shreds. At the time the storm hit, there were about 250 workers, 175 patients, and an unknown amount of visitors in the building. Workers had about five minutes to prepare patients and take cover in the hallways under blankets. The tornado was over the hospital for about fortfive long seconds. Equipment, supplies, and beds were blown across, through, and around the building. After the tornado, all the patients were evacuated within ninety minutes and transferred to other hospitals. About five patients on ventilators died due to power failure. Although multiple injuries were reported, no coworkers died. Unfortunately, however, one reported visitor died. A few days after the storm, St. John’s announced they would rebuild the hospital away from the tornado site. The new hospital is located in Joplin at Interstate I-44 and Hearnes Boulevard. The new building is announced to be “tornado proof” and can withstand winds in excess of 300 MPH. Now in place of the hospital, St. John’s Mercy Memorial Garden and Open Air Chapel stands as a reminder of that horrific day.
hospital destruction, img 1.3, article 1.1
“Mercy did a really wonderful thing: In the chapel there were white marble walls. They cut little marble crosses for every single employee. That is something I can always keep of the hospital.� - anita stokes - employee with mercy medical center
“I have a new perspective on life now. Things I used to be afraid of, I am not afraid of anymore and I cannot explain it.� - leroy wheeler
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tornado destruction
The house depicted in the picture has gone by many names throughout its history. It was originally known as the Carl Owens house, but later became known as the Porter House. In recent years, however, this beloved house became known as the Cunningham House or “Airplane� House because of its large airplane windows. It had become a landmark of Cunningham Park. Unfortunately, the house suffered the wrath of the tornado during that fateful day. The Garden aims to create a tribute to this home and all homes destroyed in the city.
cunningham house destruction. img 1.4,
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grant team members
Chris Cotten
Keith Tidball
Erika Svendsen
joplin parks and recreation
cornell university
usda forest service
director
department of natural resources
northern research station
Lindsay Campbell
Nancy Sonti
Traci Sooter
usda forest service
usda forest service
drury university
northern research station
northern research station
hammons school of architecture
Nancy Chikaraishi
Keith Hedges
Natalie Wlodarczyk
drury university
drury university
hammons school of architecture
hammons school of architecture
drury university
music therapy department
Jennifer Silva Brown
Jayon You
drury university
drury university
Peter Meidlinger drury university
psychology department
hammons school of architecture
english department
Mark Miller
Jerany Jackson
Ryan Evitts
drury university
great river engineering
great river engineering
director of communications
landscape architecture
Donna Coble
Rick Mayer
forest releaf of missouri
department of conservation
executive director
missouri
landscape architecture
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project concept development letter from chris cotten
director of joplin parks and recreation
How the Butterfly Garden & Overlook came to be. “The Overlook concept was first envisioned by former City Manager Mark Rohr. The initial concept was vastly different from what was built. The original concept was simply storyboards telling the story and a pavilion of some sort. Walmart donated $250,000 to help redevelop the park and a large part of those redevelopment funds were going to the project. Due to the amount of total devastation to the park, the Overlook area was put last on the list of things to be accomplished. The property first had to be bought, the remains of the three houses torn down, the basements filled in, and plans be drawn. Keith Tidball initially contacted me immediately after the tornado about the TKF, Open Spaces Sacred Places concept. I was so busy I told him to “get back with me in about a year”. About a year later he did and as he explained the concept for Open Spaces Sacred Places I began to see how the Overlook Concept and the TKF concept could be worked into one project. A project that honored those we lost and those that had to rebuild their lives and deal with the emotional baggage left behind. Due to the extremely heavy work load involved with rebuilding three parks and an aquatic center destroyed in the May 22 event I reached out to Traci Sooter at my alma mater, Drury University. Traci Sooter and Nancy Chikaraishi did a wonderful job in regards to the Volunteer Tribute that was built in Cunningham Park as part of the Extreme Home Makeover project in October of 2011. I simply did not have the time to coordinate a project of this magnitude on my own with my existing workload and had Traci, Nancy and Drury University not been up to the challenge the Butterfly Garden concept of the Overlook project would not have happened. The Joplin Parks Department and the Drury Architecture Department put together a phenomenal team for the project. The project took a long time from start to finish but it was worth the effort. I am proud to have had
original render for garden. img 2.1, article 1.2
a role in the project, especially being able to work with my alma mater. The real recognition for the role played in this project from the City goes to the Joplin Parks and Recreation maintenance staff, for without their construction trade knowledge and experience the project would not have been possible to accomplish staying within the budget we had to work with. City government moves slow, but with the support of the Joplin City Council, current City Manager Sam Anselm, and former City Manager Mark Rohr and the love for Cunningham Park by the citizens of Joplin the project was, and is, a phenomenal success.�
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project concept development about the project
Design Students and professors developed the conceptual design of the Butterfly Garden & Overlook and designed and built six of the elements in the garden through the Design-Build Program in the Hammons School of Architecture at Drury University. The project was a collaboration with Joplin Parks and Recreation Department from design through construction. Many community members, some of whom were survivors of the tornado, also participated in the design process and volunteered during construction. the six student design-build elements:
• • • • • •
38 Minute Water Wall Broken Void Water Feature Healed Void Water Feature Butterfly Pavilion Storyboards Healing Bench
Joplin Parks & Recreation (JPR) Department built all of the infrastructure of the project and gave their heart and soul to making it happen. JPR continues to maintain and care for the project today. Great River and Associates did the design development through construction documents including designing symbology behind the plants and flowers. A blitz-build approach was utilized to condense the student construction activities into a one-week period which included a strategic sprinkling of volunteer days. The Drury University student organization SmartMOB!, which organizes purposeful flash mobs, organized 60+ students, staff, and faculty and converged on the site for three hours to build the stone walls of the garden, among many other things. A Rejuvenation Station was created as one example of a whole-school design-build philosophy in action. At this station, twenty music therapy students played uplifting music to motivate workers during the build. The Joplin Parks and Recreation Department spent considerable time on-site before, during, and after the one-week student blitz build to complete the project.
original render for garden. img 2.2, article 1.3
meeting with team members for early design. img 2.3
meeting with team members for early design. img 2.4
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project concept development
Overlying Concepts At the request of the Joplin Parks Director and through the support of a TKF grant, Drury University students designed and built a garden space that focuses on the healing of the Joplin survivors. The primary participants were the Joplin Parks and Recreation Department in a supervisor, builder, and stewardship role, Cornell University and USDA Forest Service as researchers, and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri who coordinated tax credits. Drury University was the design-builder working with a multi-disciplinary team: conceptual design input from a music therapy professor; survivor story collection conducted by English Department students; website design to house survivor stories done by a Communications Department student; and, post-construction individual and community resilience research conducted by a Psychology Department professor and students. A blitz-build approach condensed the student on-site construction activities into a one-week period with a strategic sprinkling of volunteer days. The blitz-build idea permitted the SmartMob!, a flash mob with a purpose, to send 60+ students, faculty, and staff volunteers. The rejuvenation station is one example of a whole-school design-build philosophy where twenty music therapy students played uplifting music during the build. The middle school children, garden clubs, families, etc. planted the garden four months later. The Joplin Parks and Recreation Department spent considerable time on-site before and after the one-week student Blitz-build to complete the project. The crew, some tornado survivors, participated on the volunteer days and during design charrettes. DESIGN Two architecture students worked with members of the community and professors to develop the healing garden concept in Cunningham Park. Third year architecture students designed and built six elements within the garden. The garden recreates the outline of three homes erased by the Joplin tornado, provides a pavilion, water features, seven educational storyboards, a butterfly garden and four sacred spaces. One space contains a journal to record visitors’ thoughts and reflections.
The design of the Butterfly Garden and Overlook weaves together the conceptual ideas derived from Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning (Worden 1991). Worden recognizes the process as accepting loss, managing the pain of grief, adjusting to the new environment, and making an enduring connection with the deceased. Four tasks to help individuals move into the next phase of life are represented as architectural and natural elements throughout the gardens. The first task, accepting the reality of the loss, begins as visitors pass through the portal of the lost home, the front door. The path takes you on a journey around the site, allowing for processing the pain of grief, task 2. Areas with a bench and journal act as a destination and provide a sacred space in nature to adjust to a world without the deceased (or what was lost), task 3. Visitors are encouraged to write and reflect in the journals. The “penciled” outline of homes represent all homes erased by the storm and plaques educate future generations on the destruction, acts of heroism, survival and the Miracle of the Human Spirit while providing an enduring connection to the deceased (or what was lost), We move on but do not forget, task 4. Butterfly attracting flowers create the unifying circle of the butterfly garden providing an encompassing sense of boundary, safety and enclosure. The 38 segments of the transitioning water wall represent the minutes the tornado was on the ground. At minute seven, when the storm hit Cunningham Park and the hospital, there is a void. The void becomes water features in two sacred spaces, one broken by the path of the storm and another scarred but whole again. The butterfly pavilion acknowledges stories told by children that butterflies helped them during the storm and the student-designed bench reflects the transitional nature of healing. Stainless steel pedestals tell stories of survival, heroism, recovery, memorials, statistics, butterfly people and design of the garden. English students collected, transcribed, and archived survivor stories, which inspired the design students prior to the build and were eventually quoted on the storyboards, on water features and permanently housed on a student-designed website at: http://storiesofjoplin.drury.edu/. Psychology students interviewed storm survivors regarding their feelings and experiences with nature. Their comments helped guide the garden’s design.
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model photos
model created by drury hammons school of architecture students. img 2.6, art 1.4
overall plan
entry portal
path
destinations
rose garden
butterfly ring
elements of the garden and overlook higlighted on the left page. img 2.5, article 1.4
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joplin parks + rec construction
structural steel frame on site during foggy morning. img 3.1
set of images from construction site, img 3.2.
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drury university build week
set of images from drury university build week. img 3.3,
students signing names in waterwall. img 3.4, art 1.4
butterfly pavilion construction, img 3.5.
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drury university build week
students working on butterfly pavilion. img 3.6.
placing the form for small water feature, img 3.7.
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Smartmob ! and
music therapy music rejuvenation station
set of pictures from drury university smartmob! and music rejuvenation station. img 3.8.
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joplin community planting day
set of images from joplin community planting day. img 3.9.
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ribbon cutting dedication ceremony
chris cotten at ribbon cutting ceremony. img 4.1.
father and daughter look at storyboards, img 4.2.
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overall pictures butterfly garden
series of overall views of butterfly garden. img 4.3.
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butterfly garden water wall
5:41 the time the tornado hit cunningham park. img 4.4.
mother and children play with water wall, img 4.5.
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butterfly garden bench
bench overlooking tornado path wall. img 4.6
bench and water fountain created by students, img 4.7.
broken and healed water features. img 4.8
storyboards depicting site information, img 4.9.
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butterfly pavilion tkf foundation bench
people sitting under drury design-built butterfly pavilion on tkf bench. img 4.10
visitor looking at tkf journal entries and entry example, img 4.11
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landscapes of resilience research
Research and Development The Landscapes of Resilience research team is comparing the practices of community greening and environmental stewardship in the post-disturbance context of Joplin, Missouri with that of New York City following Hurricane Sandy. One year after Joplin’s tornado, New York experienced its own extreme storm event in October 2012, when Hurricane Sandy landed on its shores. While these cities have distinct features and unique experiences, the common thread of rebuilding life after disaster binds them. This research focuses on the capacity for community engagement in greening to contribute to the social resilience of affected places, as well as the importance of such green spaces in the context of city resilience strategies. With funding provided by the TKF Foundation’s Nature Sacred Program, this project couples site design and development with research in action. This means that researchers are uniquely positioned alongside both projects as they emerge and evolve over time. In Joplin, social scientists from the USDA Forest Service, Cornell University, and Drury University documented community response to the Butterfly Garden that was created as an open space for reflection and healing at Cunningham Park. In New York, a similar process is taking place at New York City Housing Authority property, B 41st Street Houses, in Rockaway, NY where a community garden continues to undergo recovery in the aftermath of Sandy. The two projects are in different stages of their redevelopment and both provide a unique lens through which to examine the phases of the greening process. Joplin provides the opportunity to observe the outcomes of the new memorial space within an established town park, while the New York site is currently being redesigned through the efforts of committed residents with the support of an interdisciplinary research and design team. In order to understand the process necessary to create resilient communities and to further contribute to scholarship that will inform resiliency planning, several core research questions act as guide posts to our research: What helps to inspire, create, shape, operate, and maintain such places? How do these spaces help communities recover and organize in the aftermath of a disturbance?
landscapes of resilience research, img 5.1.
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landscapes of resilience research journal entries
“When the tornado hit, it was not just the end of something terrible, but was the beginning of something beautiful. That is why God has blessed us with this amazing park and memorial. Every time I come here or anyone for that matter, they will remember that not only did Joplin fall, but also got back up.”
- anonymous
“We will continue to pray for the people of Joplin. Stay Strong! This park will always be a testament that people will rise again after all the hardship.”
- juan family - bentonville, ar
“Today we came to see this beautiful Butterfly Garden a place where our family can come and try to heal our hearts. We struggle every day with our grief but thank God for the hearts of all the volunteers who have restored this park. In this tragedy on May 22, 2011 we lost my sister who was such a beautiful woman. She was an aunt, daughter, and mother. Her name is Malisa Ann Crossley. She will always be alive in our hearts and in our homes. We love her so much and miss her dearly. This garden is such a beautiful gift to all of the 161 families who lost their loved ones.”
- jennifer gordon
“My Grandpa died on April 28, 2014 and this Butterfly Garden helped me a lot”
- jordan alexandra simpson, 8
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landscapes of resilience research journal entries
“Joplin [pro-noun]: See Resilience.”
- anonymous
“I like just sitting here thinking back to old memories. It is so peaceful. It is my getaway.”
- tyler viles and horley swindell - 07.02.2014
“Thank you to all the volunteers that have spent countless hours helping Joplin. You have helped renew our spirits in more ways than words could ever express. And thank you for this beautiful garden. It is the perfect spot for healing and reflection.” - fritzie kidder - 8.10.2014
“What a beautiful memorial. I remember May 22 like it was yesterday. I remember the heartache felt. This park brought a sense of peace and healing.”
- anonymous - 08.11.2014
“As a storm chaser, I know the importance of assisting the public with early warnings. This is why we chase. We are the eyes of the media and the National Weather Service and you, the citizens of Joplin. You are on the right track to rebuild what was lost and keep the memory of those affected in your hearts. My prayers for all of you continue. We will be back every year to write in this journal. God bless all of you.”
- gene robertson - pds storm chasers st. louis - 5.23.2014
translation
5.22.2014 “So much emotion as I sit on this bench and write in this journal. To come and remember, to sit and let the peaceful sound of the waterfall, the sounds of people talking, children laughing. Even though that day forever changed my life and my family’s life - we lost my son, Christopher Lucas we lost our home and our sense of safety in our home. God has been healing our hearts, one tear at a time! I am very thankful for all the heart that has went into the Butterfly Garden and the whole Cunningham Park rebuild. Thank you Pamela J Praylor“
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credits contributors
Contributors tkf foundation wal-mart foundation audubon society anderson engineering baxter vault betty & todd parnell boyd metals carter waters custom manufacturing & polishing, inc cornell university drury university hammons school of architecture
design-build program psychology english
communications music therapy
website design
federated garden clubs of missouri forrest keeling nursery forest releaf of missouri friends of the park [ joplin ] garage graphics
great river associates city of joplin parks and recreation lighting solutions group, llc m&m landscaping master gardeners of missouri master naturalists of missouri meeks the builders choice miller engineering, p.c. missouri department of conservation missouri forest resource advisory council modern woodmen of america monarch cement company ozark nursery pedal pushers garden club ryan osborne springfield mechanical swmo association of resource
conservation and development association
usda forest service
finished butterlfly garden and overlook
- sunset view. img 6.1.
[top] joplin parks and rec team. img 6.2, [bottom] picture of construction team. img 6.3.
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credits participants
Participants joplin parks & recreation team chris cotten, director
drury university student team sam mcbride
scott garrie, assistant director
jon hays
jeremy glenn
eric foster
steve curry
john graham
aaron callis
jonathan alejandro
jason cowen
olivia freese stacie good
michael ligibel
grace lounsbury
sara fisher
kanna matsuo
william davis
jacob nentrup
adam forrest rick porter
buddy scott
mike mcdaniel
madison miles
olivia snell
lauren southard josh storey
brian vanne
trevor wellman brandon white kristina steel
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credits end notes
End Notes introduction
design
img 1.1 - butterfly pavilion and tkf bench - photo by evan melgren img 1.2 - cunningham park tornado destruction - source richard justice img 1.3 - hospital destruction - photo by patrick t. fallon img 1.4 - cunningham house destruction - photo by leslie simpson
art 1.1 - hospital desctruction - article from butterfly garden hospital storyboard art 1.2 - how the butterfly garden and overlook came to be - by chris cotten art 1.3 - design - article from drury.edu/architecture/butterfly-gardens-and-overlook/ art 1.4 - overlying concepts - article from drury.edu/architecture/butterfly-gardens-and-overlook/ img 2.1 - original render for garden - render courtesy of traci sooter and nancy chikaraishi img 2.2 - original render for garden - render courtesy of traci sooter and nancy chikaraishi img 2.3 - meeting with team from one of the early design phases - photo by nancy chikaraishi img 2.4 - meeting with team from one of the early design phases - photo by nancy chikaraishi img 2.5 - elements of the garden and overlook higlighted on the left page - courtesy team img 2.6 - model created by drury hammons school of architecture students - photo by traci sooter
construction
img 3.1 - STRUCTURAL STEEL FRAME ON SITE DURING FOGGY MORNING - photo by chris cotten img 3.2 - set of images from construction site - photos by traci sooter and chris cotten img 3.3 - set of images from drury university build week - photo by traci sooter img 3.4 - students signing names in water wall - photo by chris cotten img 3.5 - butterfly pavilion construction - photo by traci sooter img 3.6 - students working on butterfly pavilion - photo by traci sooter
img 3.7 - placing the form for small water feature - photo by chris cotten img 3.8 - smartmob! and musicc rejuvenation therapy - photo by traci sooter img 3.9 - joplin community planting day pictures- photo by traci sooter
completion
img 4.1 - chris cotten at ribbon cutting ceremony - photo by community member img 4.2 - father and daughter looking at storyboards - photo by chris cotten img 4.3 - series of overall views of butterfly garden - photo by evan melgren img 4.4 - 5:41, the time the tornado hit cunningham park - photo by evan melgren img 4.5 - mother and children play with water wall - photo by chris cotten img 4.6 - bench overlooking tornado path wall - photo by chris cotten img 4.7 - drury bench and water fountain by students - photo by evan melgren img 4.8 - broken and healed water features - photo by chris cotten img 4.9 - storyboards depicting site information - photo by evan melgren img 4.10 - people sitting under butterfly pavilion on tkf bench - photo by evan melgren img 4.11 - visitor looking at tkf journal entries and entry example - photo by evan melgren
img 5.1 - landscapes of resilience research
research and development conclusion
- photo by nancy sonti
img 6.1 - finished butterlfly garden and overlook - sunset view img 6.2 - joplin parks and rec team - photo by traci sooter img 6.3 - picture of construction team - photo by traci sooter
- photo by evan melgren
joplin, missouri Joplin is a strong community where people come together in times of need. It is a community filled with hope and resiliency. Joplin is a special place for southwest Missouri.