Community Gardening Workshop

Join us to help plant native plants and shrubs creating a new green garden space.

Planting Workshop Details:

Join MPAP Director Jillian Talarczyk and Rooted to learn more about native Wisconsin plantings and planting in an urban environment. In this free community worksop we will learn about the importance of attracting pollinators in a garden space, which shrubs and species are recommended, garden care & best practices, as well as long term benefits. There will be a gardening presentation by Rooted Gardens Director covering topics of nature, education, and environmental justice. The pollinator friendly garden plantings and shrubs will be created along the fence surrounding our next mural and will include Butterfly Bush, New Jersey Tea, Bush Honeysuckle, Meadow Rose, and Shrubby St John’s Wort. Please dress in your gardening clothes. Plants, shrubs, shovels, plants, soil, mulch, planer boxes and supplies will be provided thanks to our project Sponsors.

Date:

Saturday, May 10th, 1:00pm – 3:00 pm.

*Note in the event of inclement weather this workshop will be rescheduled for Wednesday 5/14 at the same time.

Price:

FREE! Ticket required. Space is limited.

Location:

2200 Pennsylvania Ave.

Madison, WI 53704

Age Requirements:

Ages 16+, children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the duration of the program.

Workshop Size:

25 participants. This event is outdoors. There is limited free parking in the lot.

Workshop Leaders:

Nicholas Leete (he/him/his) | Community Gardens Network Director

"Originally from Minnesota, Nicholas has spent time in Iowa studying soil, water, and sustainable agriculture, has worked in middle-income housing in New York, and has researched perennial crops at the University of Wisconsin. He spent several years working with community-focused food and gardening projects before joining Rooted as the Gardens Network Manager. Nicholas serves as Chair of the Madison Food Policy Council. When not working on his own community garden plot, Nicholas enjoys cooking, biking, and the Madison lakes."

Jillian Talarczyk (she/her/hers) | Founder & Art Director of the Madison Public Art Project, Inc.

Jillian is a published arts writer, curator, arts educator, and advocate for the power of public art. She enjoys working with new artists and has over two decades of art business experience from working in New York City. She facilitates professional projects that elevate the Wisconsin arts landscape. Her curatorial projects speak to the power of public arts & community demonstrating how art can boost tourism, bring an awareness for change, support greater diversity, and further connect communities. When she's not organizing art exhibitions you can find her playing tennis or fishing Up North.

About the Artist & Mural:

This Public Art Mural features the work of a Latinx painter, Richie Morales who is living and working in Madison. Originally from Guatemala, Morales is self-taught and is always investigating the role of social justice in his work. His practice uses “legacies of personal and community resilience” and he plays with themes of memory and time. Follow @richiemoralesarte to learn more about the artist.

Siempre Aprendiendo translated from Spanish means “always learning.” This installation showcases how education can nourish us all. While the hummingbirds fly from flower to flower in search of nectar, the birds are fed by the knowledge found within the flowers. The artist’s figurative form, flowers, and animals are artfully presented in this beautiful and brightly layered floating mural. This expressive public art project integrates visual art, music, and nature together for a multi-sensory experience to the viewer.

This art supports inclusivity and diversity in a rapidy changing neighborhood. The location was selected as it is two minutes from the Madison Market which is expected to open the same month as the mural unveiling this May. Help us create a new green space destination that incorporates art, music, and nature. It will be a space to experience new art, enjoy a coffee from the market, walk your dog, bike, or just sit and enjoy with friends or family. Please join us in shaping the artistic development of this neighborhood to further create a positive impact for our collective future.

About Madison Public Art Project:

The Madison Public Art Project (MPAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization. We present innovative contemporary art in the public realm to a diverse audience throughout Wisconsin. The MPAP’s exciting free public art exhibitions strengthen and educate communities while supporting social justice and fostering local arts and culture. Collaborating with both emerging and established artists, the MPAP relies on grants, individual contributions, corporations, and foundations to support our exhibitions. Our art installations inspire civic participation and encourage artistic imagination.

This native gardening and planting workshop is presented in collaboration with the Siempre Aperndiendo public art mural installation which will be unveiling May 31st, 2025. Sign up for FREE tickets on Eventbrite to attend! The project integrates art, music, and nature together and creating a gorgeous 25-foot large format mural, and integrating music in a new green space garden area for individuals to stop, pause, and reflect with each other, and with ourselves.

Follow for more details on the project follow @madisonpublicartproject

or visit: www.MadisonPublicArtProject.org to make a donation, join an upcoming workshop, guided mural tour, and details for the mural unveiling!

Art Volunteer Opportunities:

If you are looking to volunteer before or after the workshop, you can sign up at this link. You can also sign up to assist for the mural community painting days which will be prior to the gardening workshop. No art experience is required. All supplies and materials are provided. Registration is required. Come meet the artist and help paint and hang the backdrop for this mural installation!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0948AEAE23A6FCC70-55342798-volunteer#/

Event Contact:

[email protected]

This 2 -hour gardening and planting workshop that begins at:

1:00 PM, Saturday, May 10th, 2025.

We look forward to a fun day of planting together!

Thank you and we look forward to you joining us. By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending this in-person program you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The MPAP, its officers, agents, board, or partners liable for any illness or injury.

Photographs and videos may be taken during this program. In registering for this program, you allow consent to the MPAP to edit and use this media for its own purposes and understand you will not be compensated for its usage.

Host or Publisher Madison Public Art Project