Norma's Garden... A Place of Healing
The Gathering Place, Cleveland, Ohio

Visionscapes was engaged by The Gathering Place to design Norma’s Garden...A Place of Healing. At the beginning of the project, Virginia Burt collaborated with Teresa McCoy to enable volunteers, cancer survivors, family members and staff to give input on the design and master plan for the garden.

As lead designer and in collaboration with MSI Landscape Architects, Visionscapes prepared detailed design and working drawings for submission. During construction, Virginia Burt did construction administration and on site review for the client. The Gathering Place (TGP) is a caring community that supports, educates and empowers individuals and families touched by cancer through programs and services provided free of charge.

Located in Cleveland, Ohio, TGP offers programs of emotional support, gentle exercise, hands-on healing touch, and information, available to the whole family. Norma’s Garden was designed to accommodate the programs offered at TGP through a series of rooms providing small and large social areas, and acknowledgement of the four cardinal directions.

Located in a commercial park, the garden is an oasis - sited on 1/3 of an acre, it has been transformed from an open field to a garden of sculptures, trees and water features. A total of six installations by sculptors include: Transformation, Cocoon, Log Crawl by David Hind (metal sculptor); Labyrinth Gates by David Hind and Walt Rickli; Water Leaves by Walt Rickli (stone sculptor); and Wind by John Ranally (metal sculptor).

A hierarchy of spaces related to seven landscape archetypes (Messervy, 1996) and journeys throughout the garden provide staff, people touched by cancer and volunteers an opportunity to connect with nature. Construction occurred in Summer and Fall of 2004. Garden works included woodwork, water features, detailed stone and concrete works, accent lighting, large scale plantings and irrigation