Dianna Pacella

Biography

Since I was a small child, nature and art have been my passion. I loved visiting the Trailside Museum at the Blue Hills in the town where I lived. I studied the dioramas of the Native American tribes of 10,000 years ago making camp at the base of the hill. Dreaming, I ‘d go home and act out the dioramas with my dolls in the rock garden. I grew up to be an art teacher in Maine where I honed my love of nature camping, hiking, cross country skiing, sailing, kayaking, swimming with seaweed and generally being a wild woman making art, taking photographs, creating camp, cooking exotic meals, dancing, loving life and building community wherever I went. Years later I went to graduate school in Landscape Architecture. My final thesis theoretically developed a 200 acre dairy farm slated for suburban development into “The New Farm Community.” It was an intentional community with a non profit education center teaching organic gardening and nature studies. I researched the cultural and natural history of the land respecting both in the plan. I spent time listening to the dairy farmer and his wife talk about their history on the farm. Now, I work as a landscape designer and teach environmental education. I focus on permaculture, native plants, listening to the people, the land and the plants, contemplative gardens, and stone in the garden. My dream has been to live in community ever since grad school. 25 years later I am joyful to have found Odonata – the group of people that I believe can make it happen in the way that fits my values of sustainability, spirit, conflict resolution, creativity, joy and ice-skating under the full moon whenever I can. dianna@odonatavillage.org