Formerly unwelcoming playground entrance from Midvale Blvd.
Midvale cob wall provides a beautiful entrance to the playground....and to the imagination!
Cob archways
"Buildings, too, are children of Earth and Sun."
-Frank Lloyd Wright
Why an archway?
The existing west side entrance to Midvale Elementary was unattractive and unwelcoming. We envisioned a gateway welcoming children coming through the west entrance. Although an archway over the sidwalk later proved to be practically impossilbe, the new cob wall beautifies the area and makes it more inviting to all.
What is cob?
The Olde English definition of cob is "a lump of clay". More specifically it is a mix of sand, clay, straw and water. Cob has been used as a building material throughout the world for hundreds of years - part of the Great Wall of China is made from cob. Locally, you can find a cob courtyard behind the Williamson Street Coop. The courtyard was cooperatively built by residents of the Jennifer Street Neighborhood under the tutelage of Randy Gates from Outta-the-Box .
Why use cob?
By using cob, we built the archway together! Students and neighbors came together to make cob from straw, mud and sand under the guidance of Randy Gates. They mixed the materials with their feet and hands, molded the mixed cob into balls, and actually built the wall from what they made. It provides a wonderful opportunity for neighbors and friends to directly invest in our community, it is a great educational tool blending aspects of art, science, and math, and is environmentally friendly .
History of Midvale's Cobb Wall
During the Spring of 2005, the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools awarded Meri Lau, Midvale Elementary School's art teacher, a $6017 grant to fund the Cob Archway Project. Matching funds were generously donated by the Midvale Heights Community Association, Westmorland Neighborhood Association and the Midvale-Lincoln PTA. The Midvale Cob Archway was completed this past summer (2006). Go here to view a pictures of the Midvale cobb wall construction.
Progress of Lincoln's Cob Wall
Lincoln elementary, Midvale's partner school, also received a grant of $8,177 in 2006 awarded to Gwen Kong, Lincoln's Art Teacher. This grant is funded the construction of the Lincoln cob gateway in the spring of 2007 using a clay model created by a Lincoln student and selected by her peers. Pictures of the completed Lincoln cob wall will be available soon.
Site last updated : March 17, 2007