Sat 8/16 @ noon-5:30PM
Sun 8/17 @ 1:30-3PM @ 4-7PM
In 2022, at the second (and final) FRONT International Triennial, an installation called To Those Who Nourish, focused on the health of Lake Erie, and how it was affected by environmental impacts. A UK-duo called Cooking Sections, which “investigates the systems that shape the world through food, tracing the spatial, ecological, and political legacies of extractivism, and “uses food as both a lens and a tool to trace the metabolic relations behind industrialised food systems,” coordinated the project with five local contributors: Chateau Hough (pictured), Vel’s Purple Oasis, City Fresh, Yellow House Cheese & Meats, and Hood Honey.
The work continued after the triennial was over, with the five small Cleveland urban farms that took part in the project spending the last three years expanding their sustainable, regenerative growing practices including forgoing chemical fertilizersvia workshops and technical assistance from SPACES.
Now SPACES is presenting the results of their work during a weekend-long event, focusing on how art can contribute to raising awareness of sustainable agriculture and climate justice.
On Saturday August 16, SPACES will be hosting a free, family-friendly Sustainability Expo & Artisan Sale. It will include locally grown produce, handmade items and representatives from local environmental organizations, and feature a special presentation from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), who will share their Lake Erie League, a team of comic-book style “sewer heroes” meant to get kids excited about environmental issues. Hopefully they’ll bring along some of their “Pick Up Poop” signs, reminding dog owners that pup poop isn’t fertilizer and isn’t good for the environment.
Then on Sunday afternoon, the “To Those Who Nourish Closing Panel & Cleveland Print Room Property Inventory Discussion” will take place at Vel’s Purple Oasis (10835 Frank Avenue), one of the area’s longest running urban farms, in University Circle. The panel will take about the project’s long-term impact and where it might go in the future. The event will also include a discussion of the Cleveland Print Room’s Property inventory Project, described as “a year-long photography and data visualization initiative that explores Cleveland’s built environment and its ties to both urban and rural agricultural practices.”
From 4-7pm, Vel’s will host a “Stiletto Tilling Party” with food, drinks and music.
The event is free but you should register for the discussion here. Get more information at spacescle.org/events.