Sankofa Sanctuary
Sankofa Sanctuary is a natural playspace within the historic Chickasaw Park, in Louisville, KY. Chickasaw Park was the only Olmstead Park designed and created specifically for a black community. This space is Louisville’s first nature-based children’s space rooted in Black history and Pan-African values. Sankofa Sanctuary is the official programming space of the local non-profit organization: Play Cousins Collective. The CAPN worked collaboratively on multiple phases of this project, along side Metro United Way, Community Coordinated Child Care (4C), Olmsted Parks Conservancy, and others.
The playspace follows a pathway, with each play feature telling a part of the story of black history within this community and the world.
The space is intentionally crafted with a ceremonial gate that the visitors pass through, feeling a transportation into a story and the history of this space.
A mixture of manufactured play elements, natural materials, loose parts, and optimizing the natural site location on the Ohio River create a blend of experiences for all ages.
