Chicago's Twelve Panel Discussion

This past Wednesday was the Panel Discussion with 6 of the Chicago's 12 artists at the Garfield Park Conservatory.  

I was so happy to see my first outdoor sculpture, Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops still standing strong and hopefully bringing some awareness that Monsanto exists.

I checked out my other piece, Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables.  These pieces have been up since August 9th and will be on display till December 9th.  

The panel included, from left to right, Yva Neal, N. Masani Muhammad, Victoria Fuller, myself, Jason Brammer, and Vivian Visser who is not in the photo.

It was a great discussion and I hope to do more of these in the future!

Panel Discussion: Chicago's Twelve at the Garfield Park Conservatory

Next Wednesday, October 24 at 6pm there will be a panel discussion with Chicago's Twelve (that includes me!) at the Garfield Park Conservatory.  We will be discussing our work.  This event is free to the public!

Below are the two pieces I made for the Garfield Park Conservatory that are on display through December 9th.

Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops

Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables

Opening Reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory!

Last nights opening reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory was wonderful.  All the artwork blends beautifully with the plants.

Here I am standing with my piece, Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops.  This is my first outdoor sculpture I have ever made and it was a real challenge to figure out, but it has withstood a pretty awful storm a few days ago and nothing has been damaged.  I look forward to creating more outside sculptures!  These piece has been an amazing learning experience.

My piece Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables.  This is also my first time making site-specific installations.  The Garfield Park Conservatory is a very warm, humid, and wet location so I and the other artists had many elements to consider when making our work.  This has been an awesome opportunity to grow as an artist!

In this photo is 8 of the 12 artists and Sergio Gomez, the curator of the show.  

We each had a chance to tell everyone a bit about our work.

Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables

Heirloom fruits and vegetables are plants that have been grown for about 50 to 100 years or more before large-scale agriculture began.  Heirloom plants are open-pollinated, meaning they have been naturally pollinated by insects, birds or wind.  The produce found in grocery stores are usually hybridized to make them more disease and pest resistant so they can be grown in mass quantities with less hassle.  These fruits and vegetables are also chosen for their longer shelf stability.  This way of picking and choosing leaves many varieties of fruits and vegetables unknown to us that are often richer in flavor and largely diverse.

Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops

Inside these jars are the 8 genetically modified crops Monsanto produces and sells at an incredibly large scale.  This includes corn, wheat, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugarbeets, alfalfa and sorghum.  The seeds they sell to farmers have had their DNA manipulated to make the plant resistant to specific pests, diseases or environmental conditions.  This piece serves as a reminder to recognize the history and future of these 8 crops.

Chicago's Twelve will be at Garfield Park Conservatory until December 9th.  We will also be having an artist talk at the Garfield Park Conservatory on October 24 from 6 to 8pm for Chicago Artists Month.

Installing Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables at the Garfield Park Conservatory!

I went back today to finish installing Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables and they look wonderful hanging in the Sugar from the Sun room (this is where they have fruit trees like bananas, papayas, and oranges growing) at the Garfield Park Conservatory!  

I dug 9 pieces of rebar into the ground that my Dad and I bent at the top and tied the plushies from them.  The Make the Daughter-In-Law Potato was the first to be tied.

The Purple Cape Cauliflower.

The enormous Moon and Stars Watermelon was a tough one to hang since I am a tad bit short...

...so was the Jarrahdale Pumpkin!  

Come out to the Opening Reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory this Wednesday, 6-8pm! 

Installing Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops at Garfield Park Conservatory

Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops is finally in it's place in the Monet Garden at the Garfield Park Conservatory!

Ready for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory!

Here is a Jarrahdale Pumpkin and a White Bush Scallop Patty Pan Squash.  They are two more heirloom plushies to add to my piece Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables that will be on display at the Garfield Park Conservatory from August 8th to December 9th.  I have 9 heirloom plushies in all!

I can finally say that my two new pieces for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory are completely finished!  I will be installing them this Thursday.  I feel like they are my children going to their first day of school.

The opening reception is next Wednesday, August 8th from 6pm-8pm.  This is going to be a beautiful show!

We received some Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes in our CSA this week.  I wait for these yummy guys all year long!  They taste like candy.

Almost there....

I have finished all 8 of Monsanto's genetically modified crops for my new piece that will be on display at the Garfield Park Conservatory for Chicago's Twelve.  I will be installing my work sometime next week.

I have enough time to sew together two more heirloom plants for my other piece.  I am thinking of sewing an heirloom pumpkin and a patty pan squash!

Almost Finished with Monsanto Sculpture!

I have finished sculpting and painting 7 out of the 8 crops Monsanto sells as a genetically modified seed.  The Sorghum is the last one to do and I should be done with it tomorrow.  All I have left is to seal up the jars real good so water can not get in and drill the holes on the wooden shelf I built to tie the jars to it with twine.  This is the frightening part since this piece will be outside for four months but I am excited for the challenge because I have never made artwork for outside before.

Only Sorghum Seeds Left to Sculpt!

Yesterday I finished sculpting the Corn.

The Alfalfa

The Sugarbeet.  Once they dry and are painted I will attach the leaves to the beet inside the jar.  It has been hard enough sculpting these plants, but trying to sculpt them to fit inside their jars hasn't made it any easier!

The final crop to sculpt is the Sorghum.  That pile of sorghum seeds took an hour...so I found some foam and covered it in clay to stick inside the jar so I do not spend 3 days making sorghum seeds!

Sculpting 8 GMO Crops

I have been sculpting a ton to get 8 Monsanto Seeds finished!  Above is the sculpted soybeans in there tiny glass jar.

So far I have completed the soybeans, wheat, canola, and cotton.  The armatures were made out of thin wire.  I needed to make sure no part of them was touching anything since they will be viewed from all around and can not have any flat spots.  

Wheat!

Cotton!  I will glue in the cotton once it dries.

Canola!

I hope to finish the last four crops today.  Those include corn, alfalfa, sorghum and sugarbeets.

Farming at Midnight Sun Farm and Sculpting Soybeans

Today I farmed at Midnight Sun Farm.  Audra and I were helping out with weeding the kale.  The kale looks so beautiful and clean of weeds!

Audra, myself, and Nick.  Check out Audra's Tumblr here where she shares her experiences with a new career in urban agriculture.  She is awesome!

Myself, Nick and Becky.

I started sculpting soybeans for my second piece that will be outside in the Monet Garden for Chicago's Twelve at the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Once they are completely dry, they will be painted.