Baltimore Clayworks is a community-centered ceramics institution in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded by nine artists in 1980, the organization possesses a national and international reputation for artistic excellence, artists’ support, and community involvement in the ceramic arts. Baltimore Clayworks is committed to the principle that making and appreciating art are essential to the nourishment of the human spirit, a deep alignment with Nature Sacred’s principle that nature and intentionally designed green spaces are essential to the human spirit.
Baltimore Clayworks is already home to a Sacred Place complete with sky-reaching plants and flowers, ceramic sculptures, and an incredible clay fountain created collaboratively by resident artists. After noting the high demand for more places for pause and reflect on campus, Baltimore Clayworks expanded these opportunities through a second Sacred Place on their campus. Additionally, the new space increases accessibility for those who might have mobility issues and incorporate native plants with educational markings.
The design for The Gathering Ground establishes a welcoming sanctuary by creating a series of lush natural edges in front of the their main admin and gallery building. New planting designs were integrated into the existing pathway and at each entrance to the building, a hedgerow was renovated separating the Sacred Place from the sidewalk and road, and the Nature Sacred Bench sits below three shade trees, nestled into a new planting surround and with views of the lawn and new shade trees. The design provides a framework where additional art features can be integrated into the shaped lawn or at key areas along the path. The Sacred Place provides an oasis of calm with lush hedges and plantings that surround visitors when seated on the Nature Sacred bench, which is strategically located to take advantage of an all-inclusive view of the garden. The surrounding plants and shrubs behind the bench also protect the user from sound, view and physical access from the parking lot, creating an intimate and contemplative atmosphere.
