The Ishka Site

A picture says a thousand words. Renderings and professional photographs will enable this project to get off the ground with greater impact. We are privately raising funds for this project, but working closely with the City of Corpus Christi, the Parks and Recreation department, Arts and Culture and we have support from many members of the City Council.

 If our grant request is funded, these tools will allow us to communicate the multi-faceted benefits of the Ishka Site which are listed below. 

• Honor the First People of the Coastal Bend
• Increase public awareness of indigenous culture and the burial site
• Repatriate indigenous remains and funerary items in a burial vault
• Offer unique experiences and recreational opportunities for the community and beyond
• Show the connection between Native American spirituality, well-being, and nature.
• Create a space for spiritual gatherings and more
• Be an inclusive space for all to use and enjoy
• Increase park usage and unplug

These advantages, once realized, will promote wellbeing, and provide the City of Corpus Christi, the community and beyond with a wealth of benefits.

Wellbeing

 Ecopsychology improves mental and physical health and increases eco-identity with “appreciative outdoor activities,” (Wolsko & Lindburg, 2013). The unique recreational activities The Ishka Sacred Site will provide coincide with this concept.

• Heritage sites, like the proposed Ishka Sacred Site are a public asset and linked to improved mental and physical wellbeing, they promote recreation, social action, creative and healing spaces (Darville, 2019)
• The proposed site will allow park users to experience cultural, historical, spiritual and natural connections. These types of experiences are impactful, perspective changing and promote environmental stewardship and tolerance of others, (Ernst, 2018)
• Nature Deficit Disorder (People who are disassociated with nature) is pervasive and on the rise. A multitude of studies indicate that connecting to nature is becoming more important for both physical and mental health, (Capaldi, et al., 2015). Our proposal will encourage more park usage while encouraging people to get outside and unplug.

Benefits for the City of Corpus Christi and the Community

• Culture contributes to positive economic impacts. Historical and cultural heritage sites like The Ishka Sacred Site invite tourism with positive financial benefits. The intangible benefits of these sites bring value to the community by enhancing the quality of public spaces, (Cudy, Appleblad, 2019).
• The Ishka Sacred Site will contribute to making Corpus Christi a more ‘livable city’ as public art is social capital via placemaking, it improves spaces, contributes to regeneration and renewal of communities while giving these communities an identity, (Matthews, & Gadaloff, 2022).
• The Ishka Sacred Site will attract more park usage and enhance Hans and Pat Suter Park
• Provide a space for the community and Native Americans, (an underrepresented population in South Texas), to learn about and embrace their heritage /
• Make the site more than a curiosity/spectator sport, but rather an engaging and mindful experience.

The Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge, managed by the City of Corpus Christi, lies on sacred ground connected to Texas's 2nd largest Native American burial site. The vision for the next phase of the Ishka Site is to create spaces in this natural setting to embrace Native American culture and history while connecting people to nature and getting outside more. This space will also provide gathering spaces for people use.

The space will consist of:

• A Statue of a Native American Man
• A 20 ft Gathering Circle
• A 30 ft Gathering Circle
• 10 Shade Circles
• 50 Laser-cut Corten Steel Informative Panels
• 20 Benches
• 20 indigenous Bronze animals
• Large Laser-cut Corten Steel Entrance Sign
• Burial Vault and Commemorative Plaque
• Additional Parking lot and Path Extension

For this project, we have worked closely with Corpus Christi’s Parks and Recreation Department to ensure we develop a facility that is not only approved by the City, but one that is rugged enough to withstand a harsh marine environment with strong sun. This will ensure longevity. Additionally, we have come up with solutions for easy maintenance.

We took the next step and got Levy Dykema to be the architect on record for this project. Levy Dykema has experience working with the City of Corpus Christi and has produced projects for the new upgraded Cole Park, and new renovations to La Retema Park, both parks managed by the City of Corpus Christi.

Levy Dykema has generously donated their time to produce some of the renderings, but we need more funding to get a completed set of renderings.

We are requesting funding for the following:

$4000 balance to complete the set of renderings needed from Levy Dykema

$1000 for photographer’s fees - To increase awareness of our project and fundraising efforts

Total Funding Requested: $5000

Please see enclosed proposal for more information Our website is: www.IshkaSacredSite.org

Works Cited:

Capaldi, Colin A., et al. "Flourishing in nature: A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention." International Journal of Wellbeing 5.4 (2015).

Cudny, Waldemar, and Håkan Appelblad. "Monuments and their functions in urban public space." Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift-Norwegian Journal of Geography 73.5 (2019): 273-289.

Darvill, Timothy. "Monuments for life: building Human Henge at Stonehenge and Avebury." Historic Landscapes and Mental Well-being (2019): 65.

Ernst, J. (2018). Exploring Young Children's and Parents' Preferences for Outdoor Play Settings and Affinity toward Nature. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 5(2), 30-45.

Matthews, T., & Gadaloff, S. (2022). Public art for placemaking and urban renewal: Insights from three regional Australian cities. Cities, 127, 103747.

Wolsko, Christopher and Kreg Lindburg, Experiencing Connection With Nature: The Matrix of Psychological Well-Being, Mindfulness, and Outdoor Recreation. Published Online:27 Jun 2013 https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2013.0008