Crows settling in for the night under the light of RockTenn papermill emissions.

“One of the great animal phenomena of the world is the congregation of large numbers of birds into a single group to sleep together. Such communal sleeping groups are known as roosts.” Dr. Kevin J. McGowan, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Pomerene Center for the Arts is interested in building an understanding of Coshocton’s winter crow roost. January 30, the Pomerene will start mapping crow flight paths and roosting locations centered around the RockTenn paper mill.

We are inviting four high school students to join our Winter Crow Observation Team. Interested students can click to download the application form.  Crow Research Student Application Questions?  Email pomerenearts@gmail.com or call 740.622.0326

Opportunity School Students arrive at Gund Gallery, Kenyon College to see the exhibit Seeing/Knowing

Thousands of crows converge from as far away as Canada to spend the cold months in Coshocton.  It is an unpopular and persistent phenomenon about which little is known excepting that crows like rivers, small towns surrounded by fields,  and light to see their night enemies by.

Monday, November 14–after a week of researching crows, observing crows and measuring crow roosting trees (and an afternoon meal at Wendy’s), twelve Coshocton Opportunity School students working with the Pomerene Center for the Arts, visited Kenyon’s new Gund Gallery’s inaugural exhibition Seeing/Knowing .

Seeing/Knowing explores the experience of information in contemporary art.  The students are exploring the idea of visually presenting their crow information. Great fit!

The students will present their work on December 16, 2011.

Building upon the research done with the Opportunity School students, the Pomerene plans to assemble a team of community ‘researchers’ by mid-January to deepen our understanding of Coshocton’s winter crows. The work will be guided by the following questions.

In crow night roosting areas

• What is the light source?
• What is quality, intensity and spectrum of ambient light ?

How does weather (temperature, clear/cloudy/rainy, wind direction) affect crow night gathering and roosting habits?

• Initial observations: weather effects the emissions from the Rockten Paper Mill which in turn effects the quality of light and intensity in the vicinity surrounding the mill, an area of crow choice.
• In 2010 at the height of the crow night roosting problem on the court square there was a sudden downturn in temperature coinciding with the first planned detonation of pyrotechnics. The crows did not gather at the court square.

How many crows fit on the head of a pin? More practically, how many trees and of what size are needed for the night roost? Are our crows roosting in one large roost or multiple roosts?

Can roosting habits be encouraged in selected sites by creating ideal lighting conditions?
Can roosting habits be discouraged by altering tree canopies

• through significant (30%) pruning?
• changing the spectrum of the light?

AGRICULTURE AS ART celebrates agriculture’s prominent and enduring place in the Coshcoton County’s history during the Bicentennial year.  The project is a concept of the Pomerene Center for the Arts, designed by Gerald Finlay and managed by Soil and Water Conservation District in partnership with Gerald & Judy Finlay, Porteus Brothers, Coshocton County Engineer’s Office, Coshocton City, TMK Bakersville, Coshocton Grain Co., Agland, and Darr Farms.  Special thanks to Ohio State Senator Jimmy Stewart, Representative Troy Balderson and Ohio Citizens for the Arts in helping to move the project forward.

Annin Flagmakers, Pomerene Center for the Arts, Towne Centre Association and the Coshocton Community join hands in commemorating the 10th anniversary

OUTLINE OF THE PLAN :

• At 3pm Wednesday, August 31, Annin Flag will hang a set of 9/11 flags at the PARK.
• The following week, September 8th,starting at 10am, 2,976 flags will be installed in the sand .
• On Sunday evening September 11th, Towne Center Association will set luminaries around the square starting around 5:30. This is something they have done since 2001.
• The Pomerene Center is inviting community people to bring luminaries to the PARK space from sunset until the end of twilight- 6:43-8:16. We’re hoping to do this in complete silence. At 8:16 we’ll break the silence with 15-30 minutes of music.

This could be titled 3rd Time’s a Charm.  Admittedly, at the beginning of the sod/living wall project we called it an experiment.  Over time we discovered what was not working.  Right. The scientific process.

Currently hanging.  Tall Fescue.  A hardy broad leafed grass that we have great hopes for.  Here’s the story that makes it all worth it.

A father passed by the PARK space one day late last summer.  “My kids really love your wall,” he said.  ” They stand against it and say–Look! It’s like we’re laying down when we’re standing up.”  It’s all about creating new and alternative realities.

(Other changes: 1.added a drainage system to avoid sending water into the basement of the Coshocton Antique Mall 2. inserted a second seeping hose halfway down the wall 3. removed unnecessary  snow fencing between sod and sediment barrier that holds the potting soil in place 4. purchased more sod pins than necessary to hold the sod tight to the sediment barrier.  See earlier post for initial construction details.)

Ryan Medley from Coshocton Soil and Water Conservation District  and farmer Gerald Finlay discuss how to navigate the curves of the “C” with the corn planter. Weeks ago Ryan and his colleague Deb Bigelow marked the center of the circle with flags and a lot of painstaking calculations. Gerald is charged with keeping the pink flags between the front wheels of his tractor tires.

His wife  Judy is used to telling him to keep the rows straight. Not helpful here. This  caper could qualify as the farmers’ version of cutting a donut.

CLOVERLEAF AS SUNNY SIDE UP EGG

Pictured: the  large southern cloverleaf at the junction of SR 16 & 541 at the entry to Coshocton, Ohio. Mown. A week after roundup was applied.  Before corn and soybeans are planted.  Ditto, the smaller northern cloverleaf.

Imagine this space as it is to come, late as it is thanks to the very wet spring.  According to farmer Gerald Finlay’s design, a large ‘C’ of corn will be planted within the circle.  Once the corn sprouts are visible the ‘C’ will be surrounded by a pool of soybeans. This  nontraditional agricultural space/living/growing sculpture celebrates agriculture’s prominent and enduring place in the Coshcoton County’s history during the Bicentennial year. The planting points to the artistic side of farmers who contour hills and valleys with fields of corn, soybeans and hay. Year after year they add significantly to the economic well being and beauty of Coshocton County.

Agriculture As Art is a concept of the Pomerene Center for the Arts, designed by Gerald Finlay and managed by Soil and Water Conservation District in partnership with Gerald & Judy Finlay, Porteus Brothers, Coshocton County Engineer’s Office, Coshocton City, TMK Bakersville, Coshocton Grain Co., Agland, and Darr Farms.  Special thanks to Ohio State Senator Jimmy Stewart, Representative Troy Balderson and Ohio Citizens for the Arts in helping to move the project forward.

Saturday April 2-We started laying a brick patio to connect the outdoor platform “room” to the sidewalk. Want to create a nice hard surface to make the space accessible. Henry Couts is logging community service hours for Boy Scouts. His brother Joseph took the picture.

YOUR CHANCE TO BE HEARD Click to take let us know what you’re thinking.

We’ll be working with the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum to plan how we can best serve the Coshocton community.