This week we will be going to the Chicago Resource Center City Garden on Clybourn Avenue. The farm boasts 30 varieties of tomatoes as well as beets, carrots, potatoes, gourmet lettuces, herbs and melons. All produce is grown in composted soil generated from various sources, such as restaurant trimmings from some of the city’s finest kitchens. We’ll be meeting in class and traveling to the garden via the Red Line. The class will be dismissed from the garden.
Required readings:
(1) Review the Chicago Resource Center web site.
(2) “Trash Action”
– Don’t forget to comment on Week 5.
Optional readings:
“A Garden Flourishes Amid Chicago Projects”
“Exploring the Cultural Dimensions of Sustainability”
“The Next Industrial Revolution” by William McDonough
Sierra Club Magazine “Go Big Green” names its top 10 green campuses. Download article.
Kenn Dunn was one of the Chicago Reader’s “100 Things We Love”!
Read Barbara Kingsolver’s account of her family’s year of eating local.
Recommended web site:
Robert Newman’s History of Oil
Here are some images from this amazing place…
Your homework for next week will be to answer one of the following two questions. Please blog your response. Please be substantive and thoughtful. You need only respond to one question:
(1) “Artists should think of the world as their canvas and get their art on the street — the values of human civilization should benefit the human spirit, the human body and our communities — we are this ship and it is being shipwrecked. We need to jump off .”(paraphrasing Ken Dunn)
These are bold observations that seem to demand we really need to shake things up. How did you respond to that? Describe what you would do if you addressed this in an art piece, as an exhibition theme, or as a public art event (presume you have no limitations). Think about your audience and what you would want people to come away with.
(2) Ken shared another observation, that “a highly pleasurable life should be devoted to the the good, the true and the beautiful. Plant yourself. Build and nourish the community as you build and nourish yourself.” How does this advice apply to your life as an artist?
The Art of Crossing the Street Weblog 
In case anybody would like to check out that book I mentioned, it is:
“The World Without Us”
by Alan Wiesman
The World Without Us reveals how, just days after humans disappear, floods in New York’s subways would start eroding the city’s foundations, and how, as the world’s cities crumble, asphalt jungles give way to real ones. It describes the distinct ways that organic and chemically-treated farms would revert to wild, how billions more birds would flourish, and how cockroaches in unheated cities would perish without us. Drawing on the expertise of engineers, atmospheric scientists, art conservators, zoologists, oil refiners, marine biologists, astrophysicists, religious leaders from rabbis to the Dalai Lama, and paleontologists – who describe a pre-human world inhabited by megafauna like giant sloths that stood taller than mammoths – Weisman illustrates what the planet might be like today, if not for us.
From places already devoid of humans (a last fragment of primeval European forest; the Korean DMZ; Chernobyl), Weisman reveals Earth’s tremendous capacity for self-healing. As he shows which human devastations are indelible, and which examples of our highest art and culture would endure longest, Weisman’s narrative ultimately drives toward a radical but persuasive solution that doesn’t depend on our demise. It is narrative nonfiction at its finest, and in posing an irresistible concept with both gravity and a highly-readable touch, it looks deeply at our effects on the planet in a way that no other book has.
I REALLY enjoyed this trip for many reasons. This program made me realize all that we eat on a daily basis and made me think about how much of what I eat tastes the way its supposed to. How dangerous is mass production? We use chemicals and “fast ways” to get things done but we are hurting our resources and ourselves b not being more self-relient. I really enjoyed the gentlemen outlook and advice on life and thought it to be helpful. I also enjoyed getting to meet more of my classmates because they are all super cool.
I think that the Ken’s perspective about life in pursuit of truth and beauty is applicable to the artist because the artist is active in their surroundings. They are not witnesses, they add to their envoironment with their creativity (painting, sculpture and innovation). If they seek personal growth and beauty their work will reflect these goals, and impact the community/ environment. If a person approaches their surrondings to establish beauty that is what their environment will yeild, sort of “you get out of it what you put into it”.
2-“build and nourish the community as you build and nourish yourself” completely applies to my view on the artist. i see the artist as a member of the community, not an outsider there to create various forms of commentaries. it is also key that both are there to help the other progress as well as protect. the community nor the artist should be ONLY taking or ONLY giving.
After reading Ken’s statement, the Hampshire College motto came to mind: to know is not enough. I feel that this applies to the life of an artist in that possessing a gift is irrelevent if it’s not put towards something positive. The work we have been looking at lately has been large scale and has involved intensive work and planning; I think it’s important to remember that small contributions can also have a significant impact on a community.
“A highly pleasurable life should be devoted to the good, the true and the beautiful. Plant yourself. Build and nourish the community as you build and nourish yourself.”
We make decisions about how we want to live our lives, what we choose to do, and whom we want to support. This statement can be taken quite literally… “Support local merchants”. Buy local produce, clothing made locally … Purchase your supplies from the local hardware store. It may cost a few dollars extra, but in the long run, you know the person who will benefit from your sale … rather then giving your money over to the large anonymous corporations. Be actively involved in your community. Participate in local events. One person can make a difference.
MacKenzie raised some interesting ideas. If the pursuit of art is the pursuit of truth and beauty, when the work is shown, hopefully this will be present. Artists draw from and are influenced by their surroundings. Somehow it will show in their work, even if it is subtle. Work shown in alternate contexts can be completely different and have a different meaning then when it is shown in the original context.
This may be off topic, but it has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. Where you are from can help define who you are …
Ken shared another observation, that “a highly pleasurable life should be devoted to the the good, the true and the beautiful. Plant yourself. Build and nourish the community as you build and nourish yourself.” How does this advice apply to your life as an artist?
As an artist i fit myself in the community and to share my work. Having a pleasurable life means creating-planting my theory of art that could be help to the community. Something that will be shared or be helpful to me and also, community. Artist themselves choose what is good and what is true in their art and that becomes part of pleasurable life. I could think more beyond for my work of art to be affected by surroundings that will apply to the environment. In art devoting somethin good and beautiful could be defined differently by everyone and i love the idea of planting myself of our own term of beauty. I enjoyed our trip to the city farm.
I think all an artist can do is be true to themselves and the art they want to create. When an artist’s work can positively impact the community and “build and nourish it” than thats great but is it a responsibility every artist must take? And is it even a responsibility every artist wants to take? I find these questions difficult to answer because defining the purpose of art in itself is impossible to do.
I agree with Nicole, and I will add that Finding more earth friendly ways to do things is key. Just because plastics might look good, we don’t know the half-life, and ceramics are like fossils. . . they will last forever. . . and not harm the earth around us. Once again though, to restate Nicole comments, you can’t really tell an artist what to do, but if it is something that you are interested and passionate about. . . artists are great people to start changing minds.
i as well agree with nicole. i did very much enjoy the experience, and it really did make me more aware and concerned about my body and what i put into it. BUT, in ending… i really have a hard time connecting farming to art. i can understand that there is an entire complex process that must occur for this farm, and that in itself is an art form. but to ask me to “address the farm as an art peice or an exhibit” seems a little ridiculous in my opinion. as well, i understand that this farm affects the community as a mural might… but in totally different ways.
i suppose the real question is, “who is an artist”. if you consider a farmer an artist, and his crops to be his canvas… than yes one could look at the farm as an art piece. but like i said, i just am not capable of making this conection in my mind.
that being said… by no means am i trying to put dowm ken. i thought he was an intelligent and intriguing guy whom i respect.
“a highly pleasurable life should be devoted to the the good, the true and the beautiful. Plant yourself. Build and nourish the community as you build and nourish yourself.”
I really liked hearing this quote, it made me realize how great life can be, and especially by doing the things you love like art. And to completly put yourself into your art and by being true to it you discover great things about your art and yourself. And then to spread that through the community it refelects even more on yourself, and then you live a pleasurable life, by devoting yourself to your art with all that is good, true, and beautiful.
As a photographer especially, I find myself considering my surroundings and community frequently. I sometimes envy the ability of other mediums to transcend time and place while painting in a studio, whereas I need to lug around a camera and actually experience something happening to make my art.
In this respect, location becomes a hindrance and a benefit. Can I keep making art in the same place without becoming stagnant in my photography? Should I keep wandering, looking for more things to take pictures of? Or can a community be larger in scope that the physical vicinity in which you live? Is there a sort of world community that you can build and nourish?
Also: some of the photos I took last Thursday are up on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rougewisp/sets/72157602366935363
I like the idea of using the world as you canvas this can work in many different ways. By using nature to produce work such as Andy Goldsworthy’s earthworks but I would use the world to make a series of murals large scale in many different locations of the world. I also like the way Cristo works where he plans project all over the world and get the world involved by funding the project himself by selling his studies of the future piece for hundreds of thousands of dollars….talk about being self sufficient.
Often time. i was busy going to school, work i did not care about what was drawn outside of streets or arts that were made. Now i see them walking pass by try to think why they drew or try to find out what they wanted to explain or tell us.
The music that turned on was a good idea because we got to know a bit more about each other of what they like.
The idea of having a group and researching was interesting, however, the cite was a bit too boring.
as of being a foreigner, it was my first time looking at this country different a bit.
I believe that people should not have any kind of set method to looking at and judging a piece of art. If there is one uniform way to evaluate expression than uniqueness could become limited. By not imposing a set way of interpreting, one’s creativity is free to invent new styles or concepts. Also individuality should be stressed over a single person’s opinion, leading to more variety. A better solution is simply allowing everyone to evaluate art their own way so no predetermined ideas of what is correct and true opinion.
If people have determined a piece to be accepted as good or valuable, automatically one would think it is better without further examination. In the same way, a work done that is not as recognized, is generally not given the same opportunity to an unbiased opinion in its favor. By not following set guidelines you can also appreciate your opinion as unbiased. Finally, this method of analysis leads to a shorter, more enjoyable and free way to look at art, as opposed to boring ratings and standards for comparison.
The trip was fun! Even though it was so hot on that day.. It was interesting to look around all kinds of stuff that they grow, and it was great that I could have that experience in the middle of the city.
Going to farm is always fun. Listen to people who handle the farm was interesting and fascinating. i always curious about these kinds of farm where has been located in the middle of Chiscago