Annapolis Light House Healing Garden

Lighthouse Ministries has served unhoused and disadvantaged residents in Anne Arundel County for more than 21 years. The Healing Garden, dedicated in 2010, is the embodiment of a rich collaborative partnership aimed at integrating communities and mending the spirit. Consistent with their mission to rebuild lives through service and compassion, Light House and its partners hope to re-introduce their more than 1,500 unhoused clients annually to the healing and humanizing effects of nature. The Healing Garden, adjacent to the library and meditation room at the new center, provides a sacred place to those who have so often experienced the harsh and often hostile effects of living outdoors.

“Public Art is a key component of this healing space. It represents an exciting partnership between the Light House, Art Walk (a community public art project) and the Providence Art Center, which serves disabled adults. The joint creative effort expands the ties between groups who had previously not worked together, gave voice to groups that often go unseen in our community,  and enriched all. The shade-like structures that the artwork was created into serves as a low profile barrier to folks passing by, while also maintaining the open aspect of the space.  The decision to  include these elements during the design process spoke to and determined the direction of the project, which was an attempt to begin in shade and end in the light. For them the gardens represented the journey out of darkness.