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The Universe Story Journey
The Universe Story Journey, an experiential, museum-quality, outdoor installation at the Asheville School campus in Asheville, North Carolina is a spiral forest Walk with special, large timescale-stations emphasizing key moments in the Story of our emerging Universe. Along this natural path, gorgeous NASA photos and other rich images tell the story of how our Universe is unfolding…galaxies being born…the Sun…Planet Earth…and DNA… all celebrating different aspects of the Story.
Marnie Muller, MLA co-designed and developed, with colleague Clare Coriell, this extraordinary permanent outdoor site on the Asheville School campus, a private, international high school situated on 300 acres. Through the efforts of many people, in particular, alumnus J. William F. Holliday, this site in 2002 became a tribute to Thomas Berry (1914 – 2009) as a living example of his loving admonishment to all of us to remember and celebrate the Great Story of the Universe itself.
The Universe Story Journey is an experiential, museum-quality, outdoor installation at the Asheville School campus. It is a spiral Walk portraying the time-developmental Story of the Universe with special, large timescale-stations emphasizing key moments in this Story. Inspired by the work of Thomas Berry, the Universe Story Journey is a large, permanent outdoor exhibit with a 60-foot wide spiral forest Walk on the 300-acre campus of the Asheville School, a private, international high school in Asheville, NC. On this path which winds back to the Origin of the Universe, gorgeous NASA photos and other rich images along the path…”galaxies being born”…”the Sun”…”Planet Earth”…and “DNA”…depict key “meta-moments” in the story of the emergent Universe. Throughout history, peoples around the planet have had their own Story of How the Universe came to be and how they themselves are a part of this larger Story.
Today, with findings in the contemporary sciences we have greatly expanded our understanding of the vastness and interrelatedness of our Universe. Yet, have we taken the time to understand how we ourselves “fit in” with it All? From biology to chemistry to physics and beyond, we are discovering about the time-developmental unfolding of our Universe…from stellar nucleosynthesis to the chemical elements to our own cells and more. How do we begin to sufficiently reflect about this larger Universe Story and integrate this understanding into our own lives as individuals and as a global community? Discoveries about bioluminescence, photosynthesis, the hydrosphere and more…encourage us towards a process of Inquiry to explore how we ourselves are participants in this Great Story. This permanent outdoor installation offers a unique multi-disciplinary, multiple intelligences opportunity to spark a deeper appreciation of the beauty, vastness and presence of the Universe in which we live…and to ask ourselves the question…How do I /We more fully participate in this Great Story?
Marnie Muller who co-designed this USJ site extensively studied with Thomas Berry (1914 – 2009) author of The Dream of the Earth, The Universe Story, The Great Work, and whose archives are at Cabot Library, Harvard University. She was a participant in the original cosmological invitational symposium hosted by the Center for the Story of the Universe to offer feedback on the narrative of The Universe Story manuscript. She was also a founding member of the group of educators from the US and Canada who convened at Genesis Farm and developed experiential learning models for sharing the Universe Story. Marnie currently designs and teaches original curricula for the Universe Story Journey site at the Asheville School, including: Ancient and Contemporary Cosmologies & Creation Myths from around the World; Exploring the Biological Kingdoms and their Place in the Universe Story; Origin of the Chemical Elements of the Periodic Table and their Place in the Universe Story; and the Living Geometries of Nature.
c/ photos by Marnie Muller prints available at this website
We offer a range of dynamic, experiential programs with this theme...
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