Butterfly Gardens and Overlook Cunningham Park, Joplin MO

TKF Foundation - Open Space, Sacred Space -Grant Proposal Drury University

June 25, 2012

The design of the Butterfly Gardens and Overlook contain four main conceptual design ideas woven together with the four elements of every TKF OSSP and Worden’s four tasks of Morning. (1)

Four Conceptual Design Ideas

Reminiscent to the first lines an artist or architect would draw, the frame of the Cunningham House, once located on the site and erased by the tornado, is “penciled in” in black tube steel, defining the boundaries of the “Overlook”. The portal to the site stands where the front door once welcomed friends, family and guests. Additionally, the two homes once located adjacent to the Cunningham house are outlined, recalling the past, to represent the thousands of homes lost.

The second idea creates four destination sacred spaces in response to the overwhelming number of people affected by the tornado and the large volume of visitors coming to what has become a destination park. In the gardens you will find four sacred spaces, one of which is developed as most important. Each of these spaces contains a bench, journal, sense of surround and a small water feature. The larger space contains a larger water feature and a water wall to add tranquil sound. The water wall is faced with tiles painted by children of Joplin.

The third conceptual idea refers to the countless stories told by children of butterflies that came to the aid of people during the storm. These stories manifest as a circular “Butterfly Garden” that works to connect sacred spaces along the labyrinth-like path of the gardens.

Finally, to unify the new gardens with the existing park, 11 of the 161 trees planted to represent the victims will be relocated near the journals and benches providing shade during times of reflection. In addition, a “Butterfly Trail” through Cunningham Park links the Victims Memorial, Children’s Reflecting Pond and Volunteer Tribute to the Overlook and Butterfly Gardens also strengthening unification of the park. Shady places to pause, sit or picnic have been developed along the existing path and enhanced with bushes that attract butterflies.

Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning

At some point in life, everyone loses someone they feel especially close to and we enter into grieving. The loved one can be a parent, child, spouse, dear friend, a beloved companion animal or even the loss of home, sense of security and community. The grieving that follows a loss is real, and can be very painful.

While it may be tempting to deny grieving in an attempt to avoid the pain, it's much healthier to accept those feelings of pain and loss, and to work through the grieving process in an intentional way.

In his book, "Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, Second Edition" (Springer, 1991), J. William Worden, PhD, describes what he calls "The Four Tasks of Mourning." These tasks can be the means by which a healthy person works through the pain of grieving for a loved one, and moves into the next phase of life.

In the design of the Butterfly Gardens and Overlook, Warden’s four Tasks of Mourning have been aligned with the four Elements of every TKF Foundation, Open Space, Sacred Place:

1. The Portal: Worden’s Task of Mourning #1: Accept the Reality of the Loss • “Through the portal the individual crosses over into sacred space” - TKF • Crossing over into acceptance of the new reality • Could symbolize the crossing over of a threshold from one status or identity to another in

the presence of witnesses such as married to widow, victim to survivor, etc.

2. The Path: Worden’s Task of Mourning #2: Process the Pain of Grief • Provides structure to the individual’s experience within the space and on their grief journey • Provides a sense of safety • Walking the path provides opportunity to reflect (meditation) on the loss and the rebuild

(resilience)

3. The Destination: Worden’s Task of Mourning #3: Adjust to a World Without the Deceased (or what was lost)

• “A defined point toward which the individual moves on the path.” - TKF • “Destination is an end-point to which the individual is drawn, having moved through the

portal and walked on the path.” - TKF • Symbolizes renewal of the community

4. The Surround: Worden’s Task of Mourning #4: Reinvest in Society while maintaining an enduring connection to the deceased (or what was lost)

• “Provided through plantings, fencing, trees, sculpture, or whatever else provides an encompassing sense of boundary, safety and enclosure within the OSSP.” –TKF

• Outline of houses, Bench and Journal all symbolize enduring connection, we move on but don’t forget

• Symbolizes the resilience of the community

Application of the Tasks of Mourning to the Elements in the gardens

1. During the May 22, 2011 tornado over 8,500 homes were erased from the landscape of Joplin. Sitting at the high point of the area, the design suggests “penciling in” the outline of 3 homes that were destroyed on the site of the gardens. This metaphorical sketch of the homes responds to Worden’s first task, accepting the reality of the loss and our assignment of that task, the Portal. Visitors will pass through the same location of what was the portal of the lost home, the front door.

2. The Path takes the visitor on a journey around the site allowing for Processing the Pain of Grief and promoting reflection. The directional nature of the path addresses the need for structure along the journey.

3. Because of the vast number of people affected by the tornado, there are 4 areas that act as destination along the path with one destination having more hierarchy than the others. All four spaces include benches, a small bubbling water feature and OSSP journals; in addition, the fourth has a larger bubbling water feature and a water wall tiled with drawings made by local children adding hierarchy to the space and tranquil sound to the experience. All of the water features represent the renewal of the community. Planting beds surrounding the destinations contain native

plants laced with a variety of fragrant species and alternating blooming seasons. The water features and plantings engage the visual, auditory, sense of touch and smell.

4. Along with 11 native Missouri shade trees and native plantings the unifying circle of the “Butterfly Garden” provides a connection from space to space while also providing the encompassing sense of boundary, safety and enclosure within the OSSP. At the Overlook, the “outline” of the house also acts as surround; plaques telling the story of the tornado, the destruction, acts of heroism, miracle and survival all provide an enduring connection to the deceased (or what was lost) -We move on but do not forget

Conclusion

Cunningham Park, considered “Ground Zero” in Joplin, has become a sacred place to the community. On the one year anniversary of the storm, the park was the destination for the 10,000 people that walked in the six mile “Walk of Unity” and the Memorial Ceremony. It contains the Victims Memorial, the Children’s Reflecting Pond and the Volunteer Tribute. 1,200 to 1,500 people in a single day have been known to visit the park turning it into a destination park. The piece that is missing is a place for the survivors and visitors to sit, reflect, heal and learn. The Overlook with its storyboards would tell the story for generations to come and the Butterfly Gardens with their four quiet, sacred spaces would provide the community of Joplin, so affected by the devastation, a healing place within nature.