We are SO excited to invite you to our special event for ‘A Place at the Park’, an exhibit that expresses 2019 In My Backyard interns’ ideal national parks!

Details

What: ‘A Place at the Park’ Exhibit

When: Thursday, November 7th from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm [November’s First Thursday]

Where: Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in the Ruth Kerr Gallery

Price: FREE!

Parking: Vouchers for free parking available

Come to Klondike for November’s First Thursday Art Walk for a hands-on art project! We had so much fun at the IMBY exhibit opening in October, we want to do it again! The party starts at 4:30 pm and ends at 6:30 pm. Contribute to an awesome paint-by-numbers mural that will be used at NPS community outreach events. Look out for event info on Facebook, Instagram, and the Alliance for Pioneer Square’s calendar!

Along with the ‘A Place at the Park’ exhibit, take a walk through Seattle’s Pioneer Square at the amazing art vendors, galleries, and more! 

Background on ‘A Place at the Park’

This past summer, In My Backyard hosted 14 youth interns (ages 13-18). The youth represented 10 different zip codes, contributed more than 830 volunteer hours and helped with six community outreach events as youth representatives of the National Park Service. For each week of the nine week program, park staff would facilitate a field trip for interns to a community partner, such as the Duwamish Longhouse, Seattle Art Museum and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and a day of reflection for the youth to discuss their experiences. The summer program centered around the overarching question posed by program leaders to the youth: What would your ideal national park be like? A main goal of this approach was two-fold: to give youth the space to express their experiences and opinions and to give the NPS the opportunity to listen and learn from its next generation of visitors, workforce and supporters.

Ranging from safety issues to a sense of community, the students’ ideas challenged what current perceptions about what national parks are and also reaffirmed what they would like to continue to see. The students expressed these parks using art, photography, storytelling, videos and more! The students’ parks and their work will be featured in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park’s exhibit space as the park’s newest exhibit “A Place at the Park” through November 2019. We hope you will join us in discovering how youth create a sense of belonging in their ideal national parks and celebrating youth perspectives on what national parks could be!

All are welcome to join this event! We hope to see you on November 7th from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm for the “A Place at the Park” party at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park!

Please let us know if you have any questions via email to kelsey_johnson@nps.gov

Follow along through social media on Instagram @inmybackyard_nw and In My Backyard’s Facebook for behind-the-scenes glimpses at our exhibit design and our journeys this summer!