Located in Theis Park at Volker Boulevard and Oak Street, the rain garden is a project that was implemented by a design and interdisciplinary elective class entitled: "Community as Client: Persuasive Ecology and Design" at the Kansas City Art Institute. Julia Cole, Chair of the Interdisciplinary Arts Department and Tyler Galloway, Assistant Professor in the Design Department co-instructed the innovative class. The Parks Department of Kansas City allowed KCAI and the community to build an ecologically designed solution to a problem that plagues the Kansas City water system. During heavy rains, the rivers and streets of Kansas City floods, and since the sewer system is also the water drainage system, the water flooding into homes and roads is very unsanitary. Due to the extreme amount of money (millions if not billions of dollars) it would cost taxpayers to change and build new sewer/water lines to replace the outdated ones, the mayor of Kansas City initiated the 10,000 Rain Gardens Project. More information on this can be found on the website: www.rainkc.com.

KCAI students designed the rain garden in collaboration with Brush Creek Community Partners; representatives of several of its member organizations; the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department; and the Discovery Center. Several prominent Kansas City businesses have offered advice, hands-on assistance and materials, and individuals from city departments and local organizations, including the University of Missouri-Kansas City; all have donated time and expertise to the project.

At the outset, the goal of the class was to provide an opportunity for KCAI students to learn about the ecology of the region, address community needs and learn how to communicate basic ecological principles to the general public in a "fresh, appropriate and persuasive manner," said Julie Metzler, director of Community Arts and Service Learning at KCAI. In keeping with CASL's goals, Brockett Horne, director of the Art Institute's School of Design, and Julia Cole, chair of the KCAI interdisciplinary Arts Department, pursued the rain garden concept. The garden itself is designed to lessen the effect of storm-water runoff by pooling the water and using native plants to absorb the runoff.

As outlined by the students, the rain garden consists of a 150-foot-long bioswale in the southwest corner of the park, about 60 feet east of Oak Street. When it rains, water gathers in a rocky catchment area in the northernmost tip of the bioswale and flows downhill in a gently curving path toward a garden that is planted with aromatic caster, slender mountain mint, purple poppy mallow, blazing star and other native plants chosen for their ability to withstand both wet and dry conditions in northwest Missouri. Along the way, buffalo grass forms an apron around the bioswale's landscape of river rock and wetland plants, and a stone benches are built into berms so that visitors can sit and view the garden.

In lieu of traditional signage, the students created natural-looking concrete stones into which educational information was cast. The text explains the purpose and benefits of rain gardens, from an ecological perspective, as well as the influence that urban life has had on the natural cycling of water through the community. Other smaller "message stones" made from clay were be created and scattered around the site; in anticipation that visitors to the garden would pick up the stones and take them home as souvenirs.

McCownGordon Construction volunteered to help with digging and construction; representatives from BNIM Architects helped with drawing up plans for the design; and Black & Veatch and the Kansas City Water Services Department helped with the engineering. During the spring there are opportunities for community volunteers to get involved with planting flowers and grasses. The new Community Arts and Service Learning program at KCAI has been actively engaged in creating and supporting the program, along with other opportunities for students to engage with diverse communities around Kansas City.

Steering committee members in addition to Carol Grimaldi include: Liz Levin, chairperson, and vice president of St. Luke's Health System; Talley Case, Troostwood Neighborhood representative; Don Wilkinson, hydrologist with the U.S. Geologic Survey; Matthew Bunch, horticulturalist with the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center; Brian Ball, AIA, past president of the Rockhill Homes Association; Jim Wanser, president of the Rockhill Homes Association; Dennis McMan, landscape architect, Planning and Design Services, Parks and Recreation Department; Scott Cahail, environmental manager, Kansas City Water Services Department; Steve McDowell, FAIA, principal, and Jim Schuessler, ASLA, landscape architect, BNIM Architects; Melody Dellinger, communications analyst, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; and James Sheppard, assistant professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City.

About the Kansas City Art Institute
The Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent, four-year college of art and design, awarding the bachelor of fine arts degree with majors in animation, art history, ceramics, fiber, graphic design, interdisciplinary arts, new media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and studio art with an emphasis on creative writing. The college also offers evening, weekend and summer classes in art, design, multimedia studies and desktop publishing for children, youth and adults. Founded in 1885, KCAI is Kansas City's oldest arts organization.

About Brush Creek Community Partners
Brush Creek Community Partners is focused on promoting the Brush Creek Corridor's highest and best uses through economic development activities that include promotion of planning and development, plan review, Corridor promotion, conducting Corridor studies and data compilation. The organization's vision is of a world-class cultural and research district surrounded by healthy neighborhoods; its mission is to develop and support strong neighborhoods and institutional partnerships that lead to a healthy, inclusive community. Its targeted area is a six-square-mile district from 39th Street to 63rd Street and from Elmwood Avenue to State Line Road. For more information, visit BCCP on the Web at www.bccp.org.