NATURE’S KNOWLEDGE: GARDEN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT x SFMOMA
April 17 through August 21, 2025 (every other Thursday, 1pm to 3pm)
April 17; May 1, 15, and 29; June 12 and 26; July 10 and 24; August 7 and 21
Well, this is cool as heck. As part of the (truly wondrously incredible, please go see it if you can!!) Ruth Asawa Retrospective, SFMoMA teamed up with Garden for the Environment to do pop ups on a patio adjacent to the gallery, to complement Ruth’s dedication to her own garden and the powerful role of nature in her work and life.
The project was almost totally open-ended, with a few key limitations given its location: no soil, seeds, compost, worms, plant matter, or any of the messy things generally used in garden education. How might we facilitate folks to engage with plants, and urban nature, in a new (and non-dirty) way? What are some of the core lessons we wanted to share, with a fun, accessible way to get those across?
Together with GFE executive director Maggie Marks and my garden mentor (and good friend) Carey Craddock, we went heads-down on creating a zine as the foundation of our SFMoMA programming — a takeaway that would offer visitors an introduction to GFE and gardening (in general, and in SF) through a creative lens.
Habitat Horticulture set up a fantastic raised bed with plants that Ruth and her husband Albert Lanier grew, so we included drawing and writing prompts to encourage visitors to sit and observe, as well as think about opportunities to use their own diverse passions and talents to connect with others in communities that matter to them.
When we’re out on the patio, everyone who visits the exhibition is welcome to pop by our pop up and enjoy the fresh air!
Right Plant, Right Place: A Garden for the Environment Guide to the Art of Growing, Learning, Adapting, Creating, and Thriving
Zine written and illustrated by me and Carey Craddock, designed by me
Really really proud of how this turned out.
Patio signage
Written and illustrated by me and Carey Craddock, designed by me
Translating the zine into 8.5” x 11” and 11” x 14” signage to fit the frames and stanchions on-site at SFMoMA, as well as making new signs to offer clear prompts for visitors.
Artists everywhere!
It was so so so so so so so so so so so special to see people pick up a clipboard and a pencil, then make themselves comfortable and start to draw. Everyone’s art was unique, and amazing, and I’ll never get over how neat it was to see.
