Growing Community

Drooping+rose+sat+over+other+plants+in+the+Community+Garden.

Maegan Seaman

Drooping rose sat over other plants in the Community Garden.

Maegan Seaman, Multimedia Director
April 26, 2023

In late 2021, American University announced an approved campus plan that included the construction of an upcoming athletics complex. The project, titled the Meltzer Center and Sports Center Annex, is slated to be built starting at an unknown date after the 2022-2023 school year. This establishment will cause the displacement of AU’s Community Garden.

The Community Garden works to enhance well-being and sustainability on campus through communal cultivation, according to their website. The group learns and works as a collective, offering a sense of community to members and non-members alike. While the group hopes to relocate to the plot of land behind the Katzen Arts Center, the original location has seen years of labor and love within their community.

This photo essay aims to encapsulate the garden as it stands today.

The word “Grow” was painted on the edge of a planter. (Maegan Seaman)
Plants grow near Bender Arena and Leonard Hall in the garden. (Maegan Seaman)
Wood markers show where thyme and Mexican sage is planted. (Maegan Seaman)
Water droplets formed on the leaves of the garden’s plants. (Maegan Seaman)
Plant markers for a variety of different plants were discarded in the Community Garden. (Maegan Seaman)
Mushrooms were painted onto the outside of a planter in the garden. (Maegan Seaman)
Plants start to grow over the planter in the garden. (Maegan Seaman)
Loofah marker laid in the dirt in the Community Garden. (Maegan Seaman)
The Community Garden hosted a variety of different plants. (Maegan Seaman)
Plant climbs up through poles in the Community Garden. (Maegan Seaman)