A Place to Grow: Exploring NCC’s East 40

The 43 acres to the East of Northampton Community College (NCC) Bethlehem campus is a place that inspires, nourishes, and teaches. It’s home to farmland, community plots for gardeners, classroom and learning environments, and rich in native resources.  

The East 40 Garden & Nature Area is a space where staff, students, and community members have been coming together to use the land and area since its inception in 2010. The College acquired the property when a neighboring housing development was being constructed, and it provided a buffer between the College and the development. Professor Kelly Allen, English professor at NCC and former East 40 director, had an interest in local food and agriculture. He proposed the space be used as a community garden where people could grow on plots of land and serve as a center for place-based learning. 
 
The 25 plots range in size, and some gardeners focus on native species like milkweeds, asters, and goldenrods to attract pollinators; others focus on produce solely. Some growers use what they produce to give back to the community. NCC’s Band of Brothers is one such group of growers. The student club has a new plot for the fall, and what they grow will be donated to support veterans organizations in the area. 

Although it began as a community garden, East 40 initiatives have grown over the years. It's a space for credit classes to learn outside of the classroom. With current special education classes building a sensory garden to encompass all the senses and architecture students and faculty helping to design an outdoor learning environment, there’s always something exciting for students at the East 40. 

NCC ceramics classes and workshops use clay and glazes produced from the soil at the East 40. “We dig up clay, process and grind it, and mix it, in order to create our clay body,” says East 40 Manager, Katelynn Frey. Students from ceramics classes use the pit fires to fire their projects, says Frey, adding that NCC is looking to reintroduce a raku firing kiln for the Advanced Ceramics courses, to create unique pieces with the students.  

The East 40 is even a certified monarch waystation. NCC Biology Professor, Karen Klein, has been doing monarch butterfly research at the East 40 over the last 15 years. Klein takes her classes to the land to track data from the native species.  

Aside from the program classes, the East 40 commonly hosts workshops and events on premise, like natural dye classes that utilize different dye plants grown to use for these classes. NCC and community members can attend the upcoming fall equinox event on September 22, from 2 - 6:30 p.m., a gathering in celebration of the changing of seasons. Frey says there will be a campfire going, free food and drink like hot apple cider and butternut squash soup, and local products from the East 40. For the September equinox, attendees will also get the chance to create a keepsake photo frame.  

“The philosophy of the East 40 is connecting to your sense of place and celebrating nature around you. The Equinox is a time to be intentional and slowdown from the fast-paced rush of classes and work to get in line with the rhythm of the seasons, enjoying comradery while doing that,” says Frey.  

Community is at the center of what the East 40 stands for, with a focus on connection and collaboration.  

The East 40 completed its fifth year of the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program – a summer residency for three artists, one faculty or staff member and two artists from anywhere in the community. “We've had people apply from Canada to Arizona,” says Frey. “The entire premise is that we have artists from all different disciplines that can use the East 40 as their inspiration in their creative process and teach visitors about their art.” 

From paper makers and basket weavers to painters and photographers, each artist has the opportunity to create an installation at the East 40, and the year after the residency, they showcase their work at a gallery exhibit on campus. One AIR, Abigail Michellini, English professor at NCC, created a poetry walk so visitors can listen to the poem where she wrote it while sitting in the place that inspired her. 

The Farmer’s Market at NCC, which began in 2015 with the help of the Good Growers Club, an East 40 managed club on campus, was a chance to bring in community vendors and support the local economy and small farmers. “We really enjoy working with local businesses to allow them to have an outlet for what they produce and create and for our programs like culinary to have a spotlight on what they cook up. It also supports surrounding community and employee wellness at NCC with fresh local products,” says Frey. 

The East 40 brings cut comb from hives from their Bee Apiary run by Art Professor, Danielle Schwesinger, to the Farmer’s Market. “We’re working on doing a beeswax-based lip balm in partnership with one of our Farmer’s Market vendors.” NCC staff who man the one acre of dedicated farmland on the property, bring their produce and herbs to the Farmer’s Market, the culinary department and Hampton Winds for the students to use in dishes, and to the food pantries for students in need on campus. 

The richness of the culture at the East 40 is evident. Frey says, “The East 40 has always been, first and foremost, a center for place-based learning. Coming to East 40 to learn outside of the standard classroom and experience hands-on learning. We’re serving as a space for folks to learn knowledge and skills in a different way. Supporting learners by offering a range of teaching activities. We also connect what we do back to what grows well in our area, what the species in our area, and we connect with what and who’s around us so that we can have a greater understanding of where we call home.”