Art in the Garden: Seed Stories of the Diaspora

This interactive seed experience will explore the significance of seeds from the Diaspora, their influence in shaping food systems, addressing climate change, recognizing cultural heritage, and fostering community connections. *Community members will engage in conversation and open-ended artmaking as we ask: What is my seed story?

Known city-wide as the "friendly neighborhood farmer," DK Kinard Urban Agriculture professional, community based herbalist & social justice advocate. A native New Yorker and multigenerational Washington Heights resident, DK is an experienced program facilitator, farm educator, culinary instructor, classically trained pastry chef and more. DK has spent many years devoted to the curation, organization & advocacy of city-wide social justice, green skills training and holistic wellness platforms.

Grounded in the garden, join us to critically and creatively engage in a diversity of artmaking techniques that open us up to deeper dialogue on place, our relationships to our lived environments, ecological concerns, and contemporary culture. Learn meditative and mindful drawing, printmaking and sculptural techniques, scientific observation with plant portraiture, nature-inspired intuitive artmaking and mixed media exploration, and other various practices from botanical and ecologically-focused contemporary artists to create works of art to nurture your relationship to the garden.

Immerse yourself in the learning garden, greenhouse, and across Riverbank State Park's green roof overlooking the Hudson River to create artwork that is rooted in place and in partnership with plants.

This workshop will take place indoors--inside our heated greenhouse and kitchen. Workshops are rain or shine.

When inside the greenhouse and kitchen we will open our double-doors and windows to vent the space and encourage masking and social distancing when in more closed-in spaces.

Accessibility: Our kitchen/classroom space is wheelchair accessible. With prior planning, we can add a few small mats onto the pebbled ground of greenhouse to make a small wheel-chair accessible path. Our learning garden has grass paths, and the entrance is through a gate with a small, raised entrance. Our tables can be lowered/raised, and we have several backless benches or stools. Our kitchen is in regular use, and while we try to cook without peanuts, much of our cookware is shared and we cannot guarantee a nut-free environment. We have a first aid kit, and the closest AED is in another building several yards away. Drinking water is made available in refillable pitchers.

Our closest bathrooms are a building away, about a one-minute walk. A gender neutral bathroom is also available, and this is accessible by key which you can request from staff. We are not a scent-free zone, and because herbalism classes take place here, cannot guarantee that the site will be clear of any essential oil smells. If you have needs not addressed here, please reach out to Mallory Craig at [email protected].

Host or Publisher The Horticultural Society of New York