A graduate of The Toronto School of Art, Mike Salisbury received formal training in a diverse skill set including composition, balance, form and scale through rigorous study and challenging tactile application. As a professional Landscape Architect, Mike lays these artistic skills overtop environmental, social-behavioural considerations, as well as processes in the landscape to produce built and natural environments with a unique functional aesthetic. “Earthartist” describes his vision of Landscape Architecture as art, and playable landscapes became a natural focus of this fusion.
The first playground Mike designed and built was a community outreach project in his first year of study at the University of Guelph. Prior to launching his own practice, Mike gained international experience with several high profile international design firms including the Shanghai office of EDAW building large-scale urban parks and recreation projects across mainland China.
Earthartist Planning and Design focuses exclusively on playgrounds and learning landscapes based on the latest research in play theory and leading trends in child development. Mike Salisbury is a Registered Playground Safety Inspector recognized by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services as well as an OPA Accredited Accessibility Practitioner / Playground Designer.
Grounded in meaningful engagement strategies, Earthartist develops playgrounds that engage the whole child, featuring diverse and engaging unprogrammed play opportunities that are responsive to the challenges and opportunities facing today’s generation.