A Space for Grace Serenity Garden at Jacksonville State University offers students, faculty, staff, and visitors a serene space to enjoy the benefits of nature. The garden, located behind Mason Hall is part of The Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama’s network of 20 OSSP sites in Northeast Alabama, serving nine counties and elevating the region’s national presence in the movement of nature-based community healing.
The space’s inspiration comes from research into the mind/body that benefits individuals experience when spending time outdoors, such as a reduction in stress, increased memory and attention, regulation of mood, and an overall increased sense of well-being. The garden offers visitors a place to reconnect with nature and take a break from screens and landmarks symbolizing beauty, restoration, and recovery. It serves as a landmark, symbolizing the recovery from the devastating tornado of 2018 and the global pandemic that profoundly affected the JSU community and beyond. The site features three archway entrances leading into the space and a winding path. A pergola with two bench seats will serve as the destination and attractive landscape, and JSU’s first permanent outdoor sculpture art enhances the sense of the garden’s surroundings. Posts provide a space for students to hang their hammocks.
This Sacred Place’s design and development is unique; JSU’s Department of Art and Design, Counseling Services, and Capital Planning and Facilities have designed the Serenity Garden behind Mason Hall. Miss Jacksonville State, Grace-Anne Lundy was instrumental in bringing this Sacred Place to life. Her Miss JSU 2024 campaign focused on highlighting the importance of mental health and wellbeing. Her efforts raised a large portion of the funding used to implement the design that her fellow JSU community members envisioned.
