Project and Partners

The Killarney Community Centre Society is building an outdoor gardening space that will be used by children aged 3 -13 as well as seniors. The garden will be comprised of both fixed, mobile and hanging planter boxes in the playground courtyard adjacent the licensed preschool classrooms. 

With the help of staff and volunteers, the Killarney Community Centre Society is spearheading this project in the hopes of increasing community connections  through education and skill sharing workshops, work parties, garden maintenance, and harvest parties  It is an opportunity for intergenerational programming and collaboration.

A gardening program will give children hands-on experience in the areas of taking responsibility, life lessons, patience, nutrition, self-esteem, food knowledge, plant science, animals, weather, harvesting and cooking, and preparing healthy food. 

As far as the senior’s area, the produce and herbs produced will be a Farm to Table exercise and a welcomed addition to their luncheons and special events. They too will learn gardening skills and enjoy the bounty of the garden. The work surrounding the garden will decrease social isolation and increase community involvement.

The garden will provide opportunities for the licensed care program participants and senior’s groups to grow and enjoy fresh vegetable and herbs. All participants will have a chance to learn about healthy food choices. Gardening will offer everyone an opportunity for outdoor exercise while learning new and useful skills.

Pat Beaton

Artist-Facilitator Pat Beaton will lead a series of workshops where she will help participants translate thoughts about gardening and planting into images which will be engraved/woodburned onto the panels of the garden boxes.

Pat Beaton is a Vancouver based artist who’s practice includes Printmaking, Installation and Socially Engaged Public Art. Her work within communities is wide ranging and often gently meshes cultural histories, natural history and human relationships. The processes involved in developing the artworks tend to be non-prescriptive and her interest is in seeing participant’s diverse perspectives voiced in both in the artwork and a deeper understanding of one another.

The resulting art installations clearly emerge from the generosity of the participants to stand as a cohesive artwork for and from the community.

Fresh Roots

Operationally, we have partnered with Fresh Roots. They share their knowledge in urban farming, resource management, and planter box building. They are a thought leader in institutional food systems change and outdoor experiential learning. Their food is sold into the school community; into cafeterias, food access programs, restaurants, and to their neighbours. They also work with other schools and organizations to develop their own market gardens and associated programming. Executive Director, Marc Schutzbank, was named 2017 BC Business 30 under 30.

Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society

The Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society’s mission is to widen public engagement with contemporary art in ways that involve, include and inspire. We promote the work of artists and emerging artists, and we build cultural resilience in communities through art. We create a welcoming and vibrant cultural exchange of artists, educators, scholars, and the public, making and experiencing art together, free of the market imperative.

Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society seeks to create a community of practice among artists, educators, scholars, and community-based organizations and nurtures emerging artists by programming intergenerational and intercultural activities in untapped public and private spaces.


Thank you to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for funding the project through the Neighbourhood Matching Fund program.