Urban Garden Projects
A multi-year project working with residents of Ward 7 and 8 in Washington, DC to help build relationships, promote environmental civic engagement, and connect health and nutritional education through the arts. The public art projects, located at six urban garden sites, helped to revitalize underutilized communal outdoor spaces, promote healthy lifestyles, and engage residents by deepening their sense of place and connection within the community.
Working with students and faculty from the Secondary Education program at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD), the Eleventh Street Bridge Park, University of Columbia’s Urban Agricultural Department, and Corcoran School of Art, Melissa designed creative garden space projects with three Ward 8 resident communities by providing a series of themed workshops exploring the neighborhood’s history, environmental sustainability and food justice.
In preparation for the collaborative garden portrait murals, Melissa conducted interviews and conversations with the residents and neighboring veterans about gardens and personal relationships to fruits and vegetables.
During a series of hands-on workshops and studio time with ArtReach artists, the young adult resident participants created four, eight-foot tall portraits of their fellow transitional housing residents. Each participant depicted themselves with their self-selected vegetable or fruit and personal affirmation word.
Dreyvon selected to be portrayed picking an orange from a tree with the word “hope” painted above him.
“Oranges are unique to me. And as far as the layers of the orange and everything, you go through the peel, which is all tangy and bitter, and you wouldn’t want to mess with that. Once you get inside to the sweet, good orange, you find out who they are. And I relate to that because sometimes I can come off a bit edgey at times. And, so does an orange. You can’t just bite through the peel. It will be nasty. So you’ve got to take your time and peel it back.”
Food is at the center of history
Building upon intergenerational community conversations and story telling, the project aimed to provide a communal space for connection and provide education about urban food production and food equity with the purpose of cultivating the health of our community and environment.
Stewardship
Art creates a welcoming symbol of regeneration and care that draws residents to the site, changes how they relate to each other, and activates a sense of ownership and possibility.