Forage the Earth and Make It Beautiful

Day Schildkret, a former Jewish day school director, creates ‘morning altars’ that inspire connection with nature

Nearly every morning, artist Day Schildkret greets the dawn by collecting natural materials in a wicker basket—think acorns, leaves, and flower petals—and building a symmetrical altar from his foraged items.

A former Jewish day school director, Schildkret has been creating earth-based altars in one form or another since the age of 5. The ritual became a daily practice in 2012, after a break-up with his partner led Schildkret to take long walks in Wildcat Canyon, where he lives in the hills above San Francisco’s East Bay, and create his sacred offerings as a way to metabolize his grief. “It’s kind of my shacharit,” said Schildkret, 38, referring to Judaism’s daily morning prayer.