Arbor Day

Today’s session of the WOA’s Gabfest club started with a surprise visit of Mr. David – the volunteer from the Poltava WOA. Mr. David told the group about his Canadian and British roots. He was asked numerous questions about his impressions from life in Ukraine.
 
The official topic of the session was “Landscape Architecture”. Within the framework of the “U.S. Art Residence” we tried to talk about the beauty of man-made parks (to introduce the Arbor Day celebration in the USA). Landscape architecture is a multi-disciplinary field, incorporating aspects of botany, horticulture, the fine arts and architecture and numerous other sciences (industrial design, geology, the earth sciences, environmental psychology, geography, ecology). The combination of the traditional landscape gardening and the emerging city planning combined together gave landscape architecture its unique focus. Frederick Law Olmsted used the term 'landscape architecture' using the word as a profession for the first time when designing the Central Park on Manhattan in New York City. The quality of Olmsted's landscape architecture was recognized by his contemporaries, who showered him with prestigious commissions. His work, especially in Central Park in New York City, set a standard of excellence that continues to influence landscape architecture in the United States. His second line of achievement involves his activism in conservation, including work at Niagara Falls, the Adirondack region of upstate New York, and the National Park system.
The group watched the documentary about the Olmsted's Park system in Buffalo city around Niagara Falls. The new vocabulary enabled the club members to start a conversation about the best parks of Dnipropetrovsk city and their attraction (numerous scenic spots and magnificent waterscapes). 
Now the group is ready for David’s second visit and a tour of the local breathtaking landscapes.
Number of participants – 23 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please

Arbor Day

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the observance of the Earth Day and Arbor Day in the USA.
We watched and discussed the YouTube video about Urban Forests in the US cities. From this movie we learned about a “Million Trees for a City” campaign and the important role of trees in urban areas. Our club member Prince was told about Ukrainian traditions of tree cultivation in big cities and in return told us about the traditions of his own country.
The Club members were offered an activity that was associated with tree names. They were given a list of Ukrainian folk songs in which popular trees were mentioned. The task was to listen to a song’s lyrics and translate it into English. The task was quite challenging: besides translation of the lyrics to explain the symbolism of the folk poetry. But most of the club members succeeded in the task.
In the last part of the session the new book displays were presented to the group. “The New Arrivals” display attracted the attentions of the most active club members. “The Donations and Donators” display reminded the group about our American and Ukrainian friends who gave their books to the library.
The session was very educational to all participants.
Number of participants – 12.