Art Roots Here, Big Daddy's Community Garden, Emeryville, CA May 2009
Art Roots Here , postcard from the show
Spring, 2009
Spring, 2009
Curator’s Statement
It’s my privilege to have been selected to bring together a collection of artworks by a group of people who are as interested and committed to the renewal of our environment and spiritual balance as I am. The urban garden site that I manage on the Emeryville/Oakland border and that we’re utilizing for our show is a great emblem of this commitment. Until just a few years ago the location of “Big Daddy’s Complete Rejuvenating Community Garden” was a broken down service station with an auto-detailing business, as much a symbol of an industrial past as today it is a symbol of recycling and creative re-use.
The works produced by Laney College’s Eco-Art class students combine a central focus with a variety of individual perspectives, many keying on the garden and its growth, many a celebration of organic materials and forms. All share a dedication to improving the health of our planet and quality of our lives.
-Vickie Jo Sowell
Earth Goddess by Pam Cronsear
I was inspired by a visit to the Albany Bulb during that semester. I learned how up until the mid '80s that location had been formed when a literal dumping ground for all kinds of construction waste grew into a little peninsula in the Bay. When dumping became illegal in the late '80s, nature—in the form of nesting birds and rodents, vines and bushes, etc.—reclaimed the land. Today it is a park with pathways meandering past broken brick chimneys overgrown with brush and probably housing many small residents; twigs twining up alongside rebar; people-made shelters where the homeless have not only lived but embellished their nooks with artwork...
The "Earth Goddess" for me was a symbol of nature's power to thrive despite mankind's ridiculous and destructive activities. She is created out of a cast-off pile of bricks and straw I found on site. Then I built her up with left-over concrete and grout, broken pottery (I'm a mosaic artist so I have lots of that kind of stuff), and a necklace and crown fashioned out of beer bottle caps that I found across the street, plus washers and other metal items picked up off of sidewalks, and wire.
Pam Consear
services: www.handygaloakland.com
reuse shop: www.HandyGalStudios.etsy.com
art shop: www.PamConsear.etsy.com
Local Food Garden by Tracy Nguyen and Barbara Petterson
Materials: straw bales, soil, plants/herbs, wire fencing, cardboard, wood shavings
“Three studies…suggest that residents in Oakland’s low-income neighborhoods are unable to access healthy foods due to lack of proximity to vendors that stock affordable, healthy foods. The studies were based on surveys and focus groups within the East and West Oakland communities. Overall, the studies suggest that increased availability of healthy foods is a critical concern to these communities. Based on focus group responses, the studies also conclude that more education is necessary to inform residents of food options, and that access must be improved by adding grocery stores with healthy foods, farmers markets, fruit and vegetable stands, and community gardens to these neighborhoods.125" (Unger and Wooten, 2006)
“…more than 80 percent of the students in Emery Unified School District … receive free or reduced-price meals before, during and after school. However, this program is in trouble after State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced that state funding for subsidized meals is running out.” (Martinez, 2009)
That’s why we decided to get together to help Oaklanders and Emeryvillers get easier and better access to healthy, affordable foods. By building and growing our Local Food Garden at the juncture of Emeryville and West Oakland, we are providing a place where community members can get together and learn how they can grow their own food. It is also a place for contemplation in the midst of the city, as people are welcome to take a seat and breathe in nature or take a walk around the path. Our hope is that the quotes, educational facts and beauty of the garden will inspire people to try growing their own food themselves.
Martinez, A., In Emeryville. (2009). Budget scare for popular free lunch program. Retrieved April 18, 2009, from http://inemeryville.org/2008/12/09/popular-free-lunch-program-is-put-on-the-chopping-block/.
Unger, S. & Wooten, H, Oakland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and University of California, Berkeley, Department of City and Regional Planning. (2006). A food systems assessment for Oakland, ca: toward a sustainable food plan. Retrieved April 18, 2009, from
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