ETSU unveiled a pollinator garden located next to the Art Annex on Wednesday, Sept. 28.
Katherine Murray, a professor in ETSU’s Department of Art and Design, revealed a statue in the middle of the garden which was a joint project between students in ETSU’s Introduction to Sculpture course. Murray accompanied the reveal with a brief speech about the purpose of the project.
“We wanted to create a chemical free zone to attract a variety of pollinators from caterpillars, to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds” Murray said.
The garden is now an official part of the larger “Pollinator Pathway” project which is currently under development.
“This garden is now part of the pollinator path along with the garden at the Johnson City Public Library,” said Murray.
Murray said the project was made possible by a sustainability grant from ETSU.
“I had the idea for it three years ago and applied for the grant two years ago, and it really took off with help from Kathleen Moore from ETSU Sustainability,” Murray said.
The project offered collaborative opportunities for students who have been involved with every aspect of the garden’s success.
“Students have been integral in the project both with the sculpture and with maintenance of the garden itself,” Murray said. Murray hopes that this project will have positive impacts not only on the local environment but also within the student body.
“We hope collaborative projects like this will inspire students to get involved,” Murray said.
Plans for expansion are already underway, and Murray anticipates that several new features will be added soon.
“Stairs will be installed in the next month as well as benches and a kiosk of student sculptures,” Murray said.
The Pollinator Garden is located at 695 J.L. Seehorn Road on the ETSU campus and is open to the public.
