Last Nights Opening Reception for Chicago's Twelve: 12 Artists Mobilizing the Earth

Last night was the opening reception at the Zhou B Art Center for Chicago's Twelve: 12 Artists Mobilizing the Earth.  It was an incredible turnout and nothing like anything I have ever been a part of before.  I had a wonderful time!  

Harvesting the Blue Potato is a calendar displaying when the blue potato is grown and harvested in the Midwest.  It is rare for producers and consumers to consider availability of fruits and vegetables.  To make vegetables and fruits available year round we transport them from hundreds to thousands of miles away; wasting energy, using excessive packaging and reducing the quality of the product.  This piece is a reminder that there is an appropriate time and place for the produce we consume.

I am talking to the amazing artist Cathi Schwalbe!  She is big inspiration and the reason I found out about the Wormfarm Institute residency I will be starting in May!  And I am standing in front of another piece of mine titled Farmer Joel's Duck Eggs.

Chicago's Twelve will be up till June 9th at the Zhou B Art Center!

Installing at the Zhou B Art Center!

I installed Harvesting the Blue Potato

at the Zhou B Art Center today for 

the opening of Chicago's Twelve: 12 

Artists Mobilizing the Earth, opening 

this Friday, April 20th, 7-10pm!  It is

going to be an amazing show!

I pressed about 600 maptacks into the wall.  My 

thumb can't feel anything!

My man, Jacob did these two drawings of me.  He was kind enough to sit around for 5 hours while I installed.  I made it up to him by buying him a lot of food at Yummy Yummy.  Check out his blog here!

Farming at Iron Street Farm in Bridgeport!

Iron Street Farm is in Chicago!  I am happy to have a found a farm nearby me to work on.  It is a 7 acre, urban farm located in Bridgeport.  My friend, Matt and I transplanted fennel into the ground and moved a mixture of beer mash and wood chips.  The beer mash and wood chips had been surrounding the hoop houses from the outside to keep them insulated but now that the weather is getting warmer they no longer need the extra heat. 

 


We shoveled beer mash and wood chips into the wheel barrow, then brought them over to a huge pile and dumped them out.  Compost bins are in the background!

It was a great day!  I got my first sunburn of the year.  I always make that mistake once and then I learn to have sunscreen on at all times.

If you ever want to volunteer with me on a farm this summer let me know!

Eat a Romanesco!

Here is a tiny update on the second corn I am sewing. I have finished this piece today and have another one to do before I can say I have two pieces of corn done. They take a very long time but it is very relaxing sewing each kernel on.

This is a Romanesco Cauliflower. He was super yummy with horseradish hummus. It is so mesmerizing to follow the pattern of this vegetable.

Last Thursday, Chicago Artist Resource hosted "Public Art: How to do Art in Public Spaces" at the Chicago Cultural Center. I went to educate myself for Potluck: Chicago's project we will be doing in February, and because I have an idea for Version 12. It is a festival where creative people will "open and remix" twelve temporary spaces for the month of May in Bridgeport. Their "plans include opening up a used bookstore, a nightly performance space in a church, a home brewing club kitchen, a department store/gallery showcasing all locally manufactured small batch and artisanal products, nomadic collaborative restaurants, and community kitchens, parking lot flea markets, a neighborhood tourism bureau, and a rotating exhibition space for artist and designers."

I want to propose a public art piece that would produce food as well so that people could take from the piece. Kale and Chard to be exact! I want to draw up some ideas and see if this could actually be possible and then hopefully find some people who would be interested in joining me and making this idea stronger.

I can't wait for summer. I want to farm!