Upcoming Public Events
Montage of three photos: right, a child dumping collected trash in to a waste can, middle, a line of 6 people throwing sand globes in the air, right, a stack of 7 sand globes with the ocean in the background
California Coastal Cleanup Day and Sand Globes on Stinson Beach
Saturday, September 21, 2019, 9am - 3pm (arrive anytime ).
Free, public, all-ages event
Stinson Beach, CA ( map )

Join in, care for the coast, then connect with each other and the earth through sand globing!

Beach Cleanup: 9 am-12 noon
Sand globe instruction, play, and creations: 12 noon - 3 pm
More info: event webpage or Facebook event page
Montage of three photos: right, a child dumping collected trash in to a waste can, middle, a line of 6 people throwing sand globes in the air, right, a stack of 7 sand globes with the ocean in the background
Nature Days at California Academy of Sciences
Friday-Sunday, September 27-29, 2019,
10am-4pm Friday & Saturday, 11am-4pm Sunday (arrive anytime ).
Free with museum admission, public, all-ages event
East Garden, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco,
CA ( map )

Join in Create-with-Nature and den building activities in partnership with San Francisco Children & Nature and San Francisco Recreation and Parks. The event also features a variety of activities for all ages, thanks to event partners Friends of the Urban Forest; Laurence Hall of Science; The Marine Mammal Center; The Marine Science Institute; The Nature Conservancy; Oakland Zoo; Point Blue Conservation Science; Planet Bee Foundation; Slide Ranch; San Francisco Unified School District; and UC Botanic Garden.

More info: event webpage.
People of all ages building a huge sand sculpture
37th Annual Sandcastle Classic Benefiting Leap Arts in Education
Saturday, October 26, 2019, 11:00am - 3:30pm (arrive anytime.)
Free, public, all-ages event
Ocean Beach at Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA (map)

The Sandcastle Classic is the biggest sandcastle competition in Northern California. Teams typically comprised of architects, engineers, contractors, designers, corporations, and local elementary school students work together to build giant sand sculptures. I'll be helping with the Community Castle, where anyone can join in for free anytime during the event. Of course, sand globe making will be part of the fun.

The funds raised by teams and sponsors make it possible for Leap to continue to provide arts programs to Bay Area students.Funds raised from the Sandcastle Classic will help make it possible for Leap to serve over 8,000 students in 2019 across more than 30 Bay Area schools with hands-on learning experiences in the arts.

You can donate to the Community Castle effort, and the event is also seeking volunteers in a variety of roles.

More info: event webpage.
Montage of three photos: right, a child dumping collected trash in to a waste can, middle, a line of 6 people throwing sand globes in the air, right, a stack of 7 sand globes with the ocean in the background
Albany Beach Cleanup and Free Sand Globe Workshop
Sunday, November 10, 2019, 1pm - 3pm (arrive anytime.)
Free, public, all-ages event
Albany Beach, Albany, CA (map)

Join us for the third Albany Landfill Dog Owners Group (ALDOG) beach cleanup of 2019, and a free public sand globe workshop on Albany Beach. Wheelchair accessible.
More info: event webpage or Facebook event page
Photo of Rock Balancing Gathering

Rock Balancing Gathering - San Francisco - 13th Edition
Saturday April 4, 2020, 11am - 2pm
Free, public, all-ages event
Crissy Field (Just East of the Warming Hut Cafe),
San Francisco, CA ( map )
In collaboration with rock balancing legend Bill Dan. Free and open to all ages. Instruction provided.
More info: event website, Facebook event page
Montage of photos from Earth Day at Stinson Beach, including children and adults collecting trash, balanced rock sculptures, a person handstanding next to a spiral sculpture made from seaweed, a group making sand sculpture, two men making music (drumming and flute), and a group reaching for the sky together.
Restore and Create: Earth Day Celebration on Stinson Beach (16th annual)
Saturday, April 18, 2020, 10am - 3pm
Free, public, all-ages event
South end of Stinson Beach, Marin County, CA ( map )
Help with beach cleanup or creek restoration, and join with over a dozen collaborating artists engaging the public in sculpture-making with natural materials, making music, dancing, and more.
More info: event website or Facebook event page
Current Projects & Installations
Nine sand globes, each balanced on a different rock near the shore the San Francisco Bay, with Golden Gate Bridge in background
Sand Globes Worldwide
Since discovering a technique for making near-perfect spheres from just sand and water in 2000, I've used sand globe making as an avenue to connect people with each other and with coastal areas. Free public beach-cleanup events combining sand globe making with environmental stewardship have been a great success. I've launched an effort to spread sand globe making worldwide using social media and a "how-to" video that has had thousands of views. Read more.
A group of 7 children and 3 adults making ephemeral sculptures with leaves, sticks, rocks and branches in a garden-based Create-with-Nature Zone
Create-with-Nature Zone at The University of California Blake Garden, Kensington, CA ( map )
Open to the public, no admission fee, Monday through Friday, 8am - 4pm

Using materials provided from the 11-acre Blake Garden, visitors are invited to create with nature. Read more.
Logo showing golden gate bridge, tree, flower , and bird surrounding two people holding hands. Text reads
San Francisco Children & Nature
Since 2018 I've been part of the Nature Connection Design team for San Francisco Children & Nature, a cross-sector collaborative of over 20 government agencies, non-profit institutions, and community-based organizations striving to ensure that every child has opportunities to play, learn and grow in nature. One of our projects has been to prototype and develop design criteria for Nature Exploration Areas such as this one at Rolph-Nicol Park.
Two photos, side by side. On the left, a woman kneels and creates patterens with sticks along the pathway; on the right, 4 adults and a child point out creations inside the pathway border
Create-with-Nature Pathway in Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, CA
Open to the public every day, 5am-10pm (click "Read more" for additional info including parking fees on some weekend days).
Over 150 yards of pathway through a redwood grove are designated for creating with natural materials from the park. Read more.
On a grassy area, with the San Francisco shoreline in the background, a lattice about 5 feet high and 10 feet wide is woven with green fennel and pampas grass leaves in abstract patterns
Art Saves Trees on the Disc Golf Course at Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline, San Leandro, CA
East Bay Regional Park District Ranger Pamela Beitz and I have developed and begun installing protective scaffolding for public, ephemeral art installation and tree shielding on a Disc Golf Course under construction at Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline. Students from Earth Team are instrumental in this project.