GAINING GROUND

An installation piece about "making the crops and growing the soil."  2015-2017

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From April of 2015 to October 2017, I was an artist in residence at Gaining Ground Farm in Concord, Massachusetts. The residency was part of an arts and environment project sponsored by the Musketiquid Arts and Environment initiative at the Concord Umbrella, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The project is a continuation of the work I have been involved with for the past four years to document the land and those who tirelessly work to mold it, and protect it.

 

From the first day at the farm, I was fascinated by the orchestral efforts of the farm's two farmers and their multitude of volunteers to “make the crops and grow the soil.”  This became the theme of the eighteen month residency, documenting the changes in the soil through the seasons. Included in the installation is a piece representing the efforts of the thousands of volunteers who come weekly to help weed, seed, water, and harvest.  The culmination of the residency is a series of drawings dedicated to the soil, videos of the natural rhythms of the farm, and a sculptural book composed of writings, musings and stories about farms, farming and food written on the backs of work gloves embroidered together.