“What Lies Beneath?” Exhibit Returns to Tyler Arboretum

May 13, 2011 - PRLog -- For the past year, a mysterious door beneath the trees at Tyler Arboretum in Media has been the subject of many a tall tale as people of all ages participated in “The Tyler Arboretum Writing Project.” The inspiration is set to continue as Tyler Arboretum opens its “Magical Habitats” exhibit on May 28.

The mysterious door, dubbed “What Lies Beneath?,” appeared in Tyler Arboretum’s woods last year and serves as one of the displays in this year’s “Magical Habitats” exhibit (May 28-October 31). “What Lies Beneath?” is the inspiration for “The Tyler Arboretum Writing Project,” which the Arboretum launched last May in conjunction with Pine Street Carpenters, a design-build remodeling company based in West Chester. Pine Street Carpenters designed and built the door, which asks visitors to answer the question “What Lies Beneath?”

And the community has been doing just that! To date, 67 stories and poems have been contributed by people throughout the region. These contributions represent writers from all age groups – from pre-school aged children to retirees – and from 15 towns and cities, including: Montreal, Philadelphia, Aston, Boothwyn, Downingtown, Haverford, Interboro, Lansdowne, Media, Phoenixville, Prospect Park, Schwenksville, Wallingford, West Chester, and Hopewell, NJ.

Several area schools have also gotten into the writing act, as teachers have worked “The Tyler Arboretum Writing Project” into their course curriculum. Contributions to the project so far have been penned by students at Sun Valley High School in Aston, Downingtown West High School, Aston Elementary School, Interboro Kindergarten Academy, and from the Philadelphia School District.

The stories and poems are being collected and published online at www.tylerarboretumwritingproject.com.

“We’re thrilled with the response so far,” says Michael Dolan, Director of Marketing and Communications for Pine Street Carpenters, the company that conceived the idea for the writing project. “It’s great to see so many people contributing their own stories to the project, and we’re hoping that continues through this year.”

Pine Street Carpenters’ “What Lies Beneath?” exhibit is slated to remain on display at Tyler Arboretum through this year, giving teachers, students, and the public a continued opportunity to participate in “The Tyler Arboretum Writing Project.” A video of the door can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8D97yM-mGI.

The “What Lies Beneath?” exhibit is not the first time Pine Street Carpenters has partnered with Tyler Arboretum. In 2008, as part of the arboretum’s wildly popular exhibit Totally Terrific Treehouses, Pine Street Carpenters constructed a replica of writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond. The cabin remains at Tyler Arboretum still today.

For complete details on “The Tyler Arboretum Writing Project” or to submit your own story, visit www.tylerarboretumwritingproject.com.

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Founded in 1993, Pine Street Carpenters, Inc., is an award-winning design/build remodeling firm located in West Chester, PA.