NATIVE PLACES: THE NEWSLETTER
A collection of thoughts and hand-drawn sketches that illustrate the value of looking closely at buildings and places.
An Unnamed Stream and an Angel
In life we are sometimes lucky to have an angel. I’m thankful for a faithful Quaker who wore a rose in his lapel every day. Years before I was born, Arthur Kirby Moore built a park along an unnamed stream on the western edge of Greensboro, North Carolina.
My childhood friends and I played in the park Mr. Moore built. We made dams in the rocky creek, launched toy boats, and caught crayfish in the shallow pools where sunshine filtered through the trees. We explored nature with our own hands. We didn’t know it then, but we were learning to be stewards of the earth.
The park ended at Friendly Road, but the stream carried on, under a bridge and into the dark woods beyond. We followed it there. We knew that a nameless stream was really a river of dreams.
Years later some of us became doctors, a sailor, an architect, a furniture maker, and a spy.
Our angel, Mr. Moore, would be happy to know that children love his park today as much as ever. I stop by whenever I can.
Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See: A book by Frank Harmon. To learn more click here.
Frank Harmon is an architect, educator, and writer who is well known for designing buildings that cultivate the “native wisdom” of their place.
He sketches often, finding that the practice enriches his connection to the world. In his recently released book, Frank offers an invitation: drawing as a way to inspire curiosity, presence, and everyday joy.