black belt bamboost

In April we had the opportunity to speak at the monthly meeting of the Tuscaloosa County Master Gardeners program about bamboo. It was great fun and we appreciated all the interest + enthusiasm.

Startup Tuscaloosa Weekend March 27-29, 2015 The University of Alabama.

Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. The weekend events are centered on action, innovation, and education. Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through testing, business model development, and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos to a panel of potential investors and local entrepreneurs. Participants are challenged with building functional startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks.

link

Jamie pitched bamboo charcoal on Friday night, three folks joined her team and they spent the next two days developing Backyard Bamboo Charcoal. On Sunday afternoon they pitched the idea and were awarded third place!

With Halloween just around the corner, we asked Mary, the owner of Mary’s Cakes & Pastries, if she would try making some cookies with our bamboo charcoal. Being the adventurous sort, she was more than willing to give it a try. When added to batter, bamboo charcoal will turn things black or grey, depending on the amount. It however will not alter the taste. Mary used the bamboo charcoal in her shortbread cookie recipe. The cookies look and taste great! On Sunday, 12 October 2014, Mary will be showcasing the bamboo cookies on a baking segment for Fox 6 News Birmingham – around 7:30 am. It should be great fun watching her bake with bamboo. If you want to purchase some of the cookies, they should be available in the bakery during the week of Halloween.

See more images of the cookies here.

A new sculpture exhibition by Meredith Knight, MFA graduate student at The University of Alabama, is in the Bamboo Park this fall. The opening reception is 2 October 2014 @ 5:00 pm. Her works will be on display through the fall. This is the second outdoor exhibit to be featured in the Bamboo Park and we welcome the opportunity to showcase the works of talented artists in local community.

Everyday materials, such as plastic grocery bags and packaging foam, are embedded within each form and serve as the marrow of each piece. These typically discarded materials are resurfaced with concrete to create pieces that are insulated outdoors and explore ideas of nature and its manipulation. The works reference cycles of growth and erosion in a Southern landscape.

The pieces were installed in late July to allow the surrounding environment to grow up around them as if they were remnants of past natural forms and architectural constructions. The landscape has been manicured to provide a way to navigate the space while allowing a natural environment to surround these synthetic creations.

Click the image above or The Marrow Of It to view images from the exhibition.

We are excited to learn that each of the sculptures also contain bamboo fiber! Please plan a visit to the Bamboo Park this fall to view the exhibition.

As an aside: Both The Department of Art at The University of Alabama and the Crimson White newspaper inaccurately associated this exhibition with Kentuck. The Black Belt Bamboost project is part of Friends of Historic Northport. One of the goals of our project is make sure everyone is recognized for their contributions. In turn, we want to make sure our contributions are recognized.

This is the second outdoor sculpture exhibition at the Bamboo Park for MFA students enrolled at The University of Alabama. We want to continue this partnership and are thrilled to be able to be a part of the process – allowing an artist to be able to exhibit his/her work as envisioned, with as few limitations as possible.

Next time we hope to be recognized in the the media too!

This summer we decided to try pickling bamboo. It turned out so well, we canned over 300 jars of bamboo pickles, salsa, slaw and relish. One good thing about bamboo, there are lots of folks out there who are happy to let you harvest bamboo from their groves. We held “taste testings” at the 5th Street Vintage Market in May & June – it was a blast too. In May, we sold out in just under two hours. In June, we had repeat customers.

Taste Testing

Drink a Beer for Bamboo!

The Druid City Brewing Company will host a benefit for us on Saturday, 16 August 2014. We will be raising funds for the public Bamboo Park. There will be great food, music, and lots of bamboo. Come out and see the fifteen different species of bamboo that are planted in the park and a display of products made out of bamboo – from toilet paper to iphone speakers.

The “Bam Boo Buzz” fundraiser will take place at 6:30-10 p.m. at the brewery located at 607 14th Street at Parkview Center in Tuscaloosa.

Music – The Golden Monica

Food – Jim N’ Nicks BAR-B-Q

We are excited that the Bamboo Park is underway and we are able to welcome visitors during the Kentuck 2012 Festival. Hunter will be on site both Saturday and Sunday. Also, Claire will be installing her bamboo sculpture over the weekend too. Stop by and say hello.

Check out more pics on Pinterest here. And, check out the pics from the UA Department of Art & Art History Flickr’s site here.

Learn more about Claire’s bamboo sculpture here.

We got so busy preparing for the NOSC 2012 conference, we forgot to post about the most exciting news… On Thursday, 27 September 2012, the first bamboo plants arrived at the Bamboo Park and got planted!

The plants were donated by Roger Lewis, Jr., Lewis Bamboo, Inc.

All fifteen plants, were planted by Roger, Denny & Hunter.

First plant to the hole!

See all the pics here.

The Bamboo Park now has the following species:

Indocalamus tessellatus ‘Giant Leaf’

Phyllostachys viridis ’Robert Young’

Phyllostachys nigra ’Henon’

Phyllostachys edulis ’Moso’

Phyllostachys nigra ‘Black’

Pseudosasa japonica ‘Tsutsumiana’ Arrow

Sasaella ella masamuneana ’Albostriata’

Phyllostachys aurea ’Koi’

Phyllostachys dulcis ‘Sweet Shoot’

Phyllostachys vivax ‘Giant Vivax’

Phyllostachys bambusoides ‘Tanakae’

Phyllostachys vivax ‘Huangwenshu’

Pseudosasa japonica ‘Green Onion’

Shibataea lancifolia ‘Lancifolia’

Phyllostachys bambusoides ’Slender Crookstem’

Learn more about each of the species here.

On 2 October 2012, we presented our work at the National Outreach Scholarship Conference, Partner . Inspire . Change., held for the first time on The University of Alabama campus. link

The conference had more than 500 attendees and 230 presentations that showcased community projects and the impact those projects had on their areas.

“Bamboo as Catalyst for Creative, Educational, and Economic Engagement Opportunities” Introduction for our Poster Symposium

Tuesday, 2 October 2012 Poster Symposium 8:30-10:15 Room: BCC Mason

Tuesday, 2 October 2012 Poster Session 4:45-6:30 Room: BCC Rast

Take a look at our pictures from the conference, here.

Faculty

Marcy L. Koontz, Ph.D. The University of Alabama The Black Belt Bamboost Project

Amanda J. Thompson, Ph.D. The University of Alabama Bamboo fiber testing

Students (Undergraduate + Graduate)

Laura Claire Lewis Evans The University of Alabama Bamboo sculpture installation

Nicholas James Neveu The University of Alabama Bamboo smart phone app

Benjamin Richard Gordon The University of Alabama Bamboo smart phone app

Amy C. LeePard The University of Alabama Bamboo fiber, sheath, leaf paper making

Mo Fiorella The University of Alabama Bamboo fiber, sheath, leaf paper making

Community Partners

Jamie B. Cicatiello grace aberdean HABITAT ALCHEMY Bamboo products /Social Entrepreneurship

Hunter Sean Rayfield Liberty Recycling Bamboo Education

Roger Lewis, Jr. Lewis Bamboo, Inc. Bamboo Species at the Bamboo Park

J. Evans Fitts, AIA, Fitts Architects Bamboo pavilion design + construction

Kathleen K. Nash Blue Horizon Enterprises Green building with Bamboo

Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition Artist Claire Lewis Evans

Join us at the Bamboo Park 11 November 2012 2:00pm – 4:00pm Opening Celebration

Take a look at Claire’s blog, Summer of Bamboo, to read more about her adventures as a sculptor working with bamboo for the first time.

And, be sure to check out one of Claire’s bamboo sculptures in You Can’t Hold Water: Works by UA Graduate Studio Artists, Oct. 1-Nov. 2

Reception:  October 11 at Sella-Granata Art Gallery

  You can get a sneak peek here.

We now have an app for your iphone!  Thanks to Nick + Ben. Download it here. It had its debut at the NOSC 2012 conference.

App Features: – Learn about the different species of bamboo. – Explore the illustrated bamboo park and its build site in Northport, AL. – Create music with the Bamboolaphone. – Connect with Black Belt Bamboost and help grow our community to new heights!

The University of Alabama is hosting an international gathering that begins this Sunday of university faculty, staff, students and community partners engaged in research that brings community and academic leaders together to solve problems and promote change.

Some 550 delegates are expected at the National Outreach Scholarship Conference (NOSC), Sunday through Wednesday [Sept. 30–Oct. 3]. Some 75 colleges and universities in 35 states, Canada and Africa will develop the theme “Partner. Inspire. Change.”

“Bamboo as Catalyst for Creative, Educational and Economic Engagement Opportunities,” poster symposium by Dr. Marcy Koontz, University of Alabama, and a team of students and community partners. Koontz has pushed bamboo-related research since 2010, using community-engaged scholarship principles. She is leading efforts to build a learning park made with bamboo adjacent to Kentuck Park in Northport. In partnership with the Northport community, the educational park serves students and promotes bamboo as an economic boost for rural economies. — 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, Hotel Capstone Fitzpatrick Room

Learn more here

We starting mulching park of the Bamboo Park today. Thanks to Drs. Yingyan Lou and Eric Giannini, from UA’s College of Engineering, for braving the heat + bugs to help us. We appreciate the support. And of course, thanks to Bambooster’s Hunter Rayfield and Roger Lewis!

Picking up bamboo!

We stopped by Stephanie’s house and picked up some bamboo. We plan to use some of it for the bamboo arbors at the Bamboo Park. Thanks to Claire for letting us store it at her studio.

Black Belt Bamboost will be was on Tuscaloosa Living Saturday,August 4, 2012* August 18, 2012 NBC 13 6:30 PM

*we were bumped due to Olympic programming

Watch Jamie, as she talks about our work with David Lamb.

Now that the land has been cleared, and we take the next steps to get the Bamboo Park ready for planting, it is a great time to get involved!

Thanks to Tuscaloosa Living and NBC 13 for sharing our Alabama Bamboo story.

Tuscaloosa Living wesbite Tuscaloosa Living Facebook

Watch Us On NBC 13 was originally published on Black Belt Bamboost

UPDATE: VIDEO WAS REMOVED FROM THEIR SITE.

Let's Bamboo Alabama: We Are Building A Public Bamboo Park!

Vote here!