GARDEN AT UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Met with David Silver at USF on Thursday, Nov. 12 - a very interesting man with diversified  interests. He is an assistant professor of media studies and the director of the Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies at the University of San Francisco. David's teaching and research interests include digital media, contemporary cultures, and social movements. He teaches Digital Democracy, Digital Journalism, and Intro to Media Studies. 


In addition he is in charge of the students' garden at USF - they have been growing, donating and receiving donations for their organic foods for a long time now. 


I wanted to talk with David as he is part of a large program at USF in which students participate in communities - We talked about the "commonality" of gardens and discussed the network of community gardens in the city and the people who are not involved presently, but who could benefit from and enhance these  communities - along with the gardeners.


We discussed how I, as an artist, work with community as my medium and how this project - sowing seeds of hope throughout San Francisco - has become a "piece. " The Community Living Campaign has introduced the concept of a city sown with seeds of hope in the 150+ gardens that exist here.  Each garden becomes a "Seeds of Hope Garden/Community" and designated as such with a small sign stating so (only with the agreement of the gardeners).  The image of all of these "designated" gardens throughout the city has become a visual and mental concept to all who hear about it.  It has created a bond - they become a group with something in common, the vision spreads as they talk about it - the piece is realized and new communities are formed as existing ones grow larger.


We don't want ownership of any of the gardens - we want to see isolated seniors and people with disabilities included in the lives of their communities - sharing what they have to give and becoming  active participants in the communities in which they choose to live and age.


And we want to invite gardeners and isolated people to garden parties, staged and produced entirely by the Community Living Campaign, in as many neighborhoods as will have us - the vision grows.

seedy people

Yesterday a fine group of people got together to fill and label 500 bags with native California wildflower seeds.  These "seeds of hope" packets will be placed in the gift bags of those who attend the 30th Anniversary event of the Women's Foundation of California -

Our mission, which is to make it possible for isolated people with disabilities and seniors to live happy, safe lives in the communities of their choice, becomes more realizable as we sow "seeds of hope" in minds and gardens all over San Francisco.

Join us...

visiting LHH - giving and receiving

went to visit M at LHH yesterday and took with me 2 students from USF - one of whom is a member of the Artist as Citizen class there.  We talked for a while about what they do and what I do and am doing - how establishing a "vision" in the minds of the community can create community - while at the same time establishing a "visual" in people's minds - the visual concept, while not a "hard copy," becomes the art...

so we went to see M and talked about sowing seeds of  hope through the establishment of garden parties throughout San Francisco - M and K(from USF) will work together to get the LHH party together - M already has recruited participants and I have talked with S from LHH about having peer mentors and their mentees join us

we all learned something yesterday

we're growing

garden parties are growing - we're looking to do  one next at Laguna Honda Hospital with a woman who has a network there - she is quite independent and very capable and we have talked about her bringing together people from the hospital who are isolated and without much social contact - also staff members who see the importance in what we're doing - having fun, having friends, having responsibilities within our means to accomplish them - all are contributers to good health and to empowerment -

more, later, on:
Pete
Arlington Community Garden
the Garden Party  process
why an event is considered art (do we understand what art is?)
moving people
is a vision implanted the same as a sculpture or painting (or better?)? what would Cicero say?
recruiting gardens and neighborhoods
dogs

Wow, it's so cool! The Seeds of Hope Project now has its own real blog. I've posted pictures from our first Seeds of Hope Garden Party in the OMI, which was great. And I'm looking forward to our gathering next week to put together 500 seed packets for the gift bags at the Women's Foundation of California event.