Krataa—Image of the Soul
Mary Hark, TK, Madison, WI
Limited edition fine press book celebrating the harvest and aesthetic of a biodiverse garden located outside of Kumasi, Ghana
Under the guidance of Mary Hark, artist and educator, Krataa-Image of the Soul will be created as a unique
fine press artist book published by Take Time Press. The limited edition fine press book will celebrate the
harvest and aesthetic of a very special garden located just outside of Kumasi.
Smart (Stephen) Sippah, PhD, Horticulture and artist Catharina Niklaus-Sippah have worked for many years
developing a garden in the village of Kwamo, Ghana that is acknowledged as one of the important Ghanaian
gardens in existence. Plants from all over West Africa have been collected and nurtured. Unique flowers,
lush foliage, herbs and vegetables make up a lively garden that yields extraordinary beauty and generous
bounty. The garden has become the center of a loose knit community group made up of local and international
artists, scientists, gardeners and friends who are interested in its natural beauty and the eclectic bounty.
The artist book will exclusively use papers made from the botanicals in this garden. Letterpress text
will include scientific descriptions of the plants and garden stories collected from people who benefit
in varied ways from the garden, along with photographic and intaglio images of the plants.
The Detroit Printing Plant
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. Printer, Detroit, MI
Creating a vibrant arts community that is sustainable as part of the Detroit Printing Plant
The Detroit Printing Plant is about sustainability, “It's not about being so big that you have to maintain your bigness, it's about being just big enough that your craft can maintain you.”--Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.
The plant will serve as a model for developing human-scale, sustainable industries and to also provide a model to make a living by following your dreams and to affirm that you can make living from your craft. This is a place for stuff makers. (Stuff is material to be worked upon or to be used in making something.) We are printing, but we are not confined only to printmaking. This is an open-source model to help you create your own sustainable space.
Beans on the Boulevard
Maureen Hark, urban farmer and community gardener, St. Paul, MN
Organic farming and ways to incorporate vegetables into our landscape in creative ways in a richly diverse city
In 2011, Maureen Hark spearheaded Beans on the Boulevard providing her St. Paul neighborhood with a means to cultivate little vegetable gardens. Her mission was to promote urban gardening and healthy eating, to encourage community involvement and to create a greater awareness of food security issues.
She looks to expand the program to include a Bean Tasting/Demonstration Garden and a second vegetable: Potatoes on the Patio. A ‘Bean Summit’ will kick off the growing season with discussion around types of beans and garden management, and sharing of past season’s beans. Beans on the Boulevard teaches organic food growing practices as well as ways to incorporate vegetables into our landscape in new and interesting ways.
The Madre Tierra Jardin Project: Las Siete Guerrilleras (Mother Earth Garden Project: Seven Indigenous Warrior Foods)
Debora Kuetzpal Vasquez, artist and urban farmer, San Antonio, TX
Enjoying traditional Meso-American foods in new and healthy ways in a culture prone to diabetes
Deborah Kuetzpal Vasquez, a multi-media Chicana artist, is a voice seeking to educate her community on alternative ways of eating and preparing foods. The Madre Tierra Jardin Project will grow an organic garden located on San Antonio’s Southside, an area considered a food desert. Here seven traditional Indigenous warrior foods, rich in vitamins and proteins, will be grown.
The entire process will be documented through artistic pamphlets and video. The Madre Tierra Jardin Project intends to connect the culinary traditions of the Indigenous peoples with the land around them. In the communal method of traditional culture, communities will gain the knowledge of food, language, art, and culture, and make the connection that what we eat affects the total mind, body, and spirit.
