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Edible Estates

Posted on Tue, March 11, 2008 by Jerusha Klemperer
2 Comments | Categories: Farms and Farming,

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A few weeks ago we began to explore the intersections of art and agriculture while reflecting on "Slow Design." Today we pick up that thread again to discuss Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn, the book portion of an art project by Fritz Haeg.

Haeg is an artist, trained as an architect, who likes to explore "poetic provocations on the street that force us to examine the world we're living in and the systems that support us, like food." Those are his words, scribbled down while he spoke as the moderator of a panel about his project at the New York Public Library last Friday.

Haeg's project reclaims the front lawn–the most barren green thatch we've got in this country–and tries to turn it into a "space of agency." So far he has helped nine families turn their front lawns, generally suburban, into edible landscapes, home gardens if you will.

These projects are sponsored by museums–they are living art projects–ones that have the potential to unify communities, provoke conversation, and help to feed a family.

The NYPL brought together a rockstar panel of experts on art (theatre and opera director Peter Sellars and Whitney Biennial curator Shamim Momin), urban planning (Yale professor and author Dolores Hayden), and gastronomy (Frederick Kaufman, author), to discuss this piece and its intersections with each of their disciplines. The surprise sustainable food activist and expert? Peter Sellars, who in addition to being a world famous theatre auteur, is also apparently extremely well versed in the politics of food.

With a project such as this, that explores the convergence of some big issues including: suburban landscapes, our relationship to our neighbors and our community, our relationship to food, and the question of: is art a form of activism(?), there is potential for truly interesting discussion, and this event did not disappoint. Especially fun was seeing Frederick Kaufman try to pitch the benefits of GMO crops and the audience booing him.

Soon you'll be able to both listen to the panel and view a video on the NYPL's website.


Member Comments

From brucef on Sun, March 23, 2008

A few of us who live in the city of Chicago are growing heirloom vegetables on our rooftops in cheap homemade earthboxes.  In response to huge environmental problems, it’s a small but rewarding way to push back.  Also, we think they’re a great way to build connections in a fragmented social/political landscape.
Here’s a Flickr site we’ve set up to document our project, alongside the pics is an comprehensive guide on how to make the boxes yourself.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7458996@N06/sets/72157603652656573/
We’re not selling anything.  In fact we’re giving “it” away, and thought someone at Slow Food would be interested in taking a look at it.

From edibleestates on Sat, August 08, 2009

ARE YOU GROWING FOOD IN YOUR FRONT YARD?
DO YOU LIVE IN HARDINESS ZONES 3,4,5 or 9?
WE WANT YOUR STORIES AND PHOTOS!
...FOR THE EXPANDED 2010 EDTION OF
“EDIBLE ESTATES: ATTACK ON THE FRONT LAWN”


http://www.fritzhaeg.com/edible-estates-book.html

For this new edition of the book (Metropolis Books, 2008) we are looking for more reports from across the country from those that have decided to engage in “full frontal gardening”. Have you replaced the lawn in front of your house or apartment building with a completely edible garden? We will be selecting one garden story from each zone, with each contributor receiving a copy of the book. Questions and submissions: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

We will need:
- a 500 word story about your garden
- 4 or 5 photos of your garden at the highest resolution
- your name, mailing address, size of garden, date established, and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone


Zone 9 includes: Houston, Tampa, New Orleans
Zone 5 includes: Des Moines, Chicago, Detroit
Zone 4 includes: Minneapolis, Burlington, Anchorage
Zone 3 includes: Northern Minnesota, Montana, and Maine
Find the detailed map here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
Or go here to find your zone by zip code: http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/zonelookup.cfm

Find this announcement online here: http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/2010stories.html

Edible Estates (http://www.edibleestates.org) has initiated a series of regional prototype front yard gardens since 2005 for families in Salina, KS; Lakewood, CA; Maplewood, NJ; London, UK; Austin, TX, Los Angeles, CA; Baltimore, MD; and most recently, the Lenape Edible Estate: Manhattan, which will have it’s public opening on September 14th:
http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/lenape.html



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