Since 2020, I’ve been collaborating with photographer Hiroyo Kaneko, printmaker Malaya Tuyay and the nursery staff at Planting Justice in East Oakland. Planting Justice is a food justice organization focused on growing food and jobs for people returning home after incarceration. The collaboration began as a space for the team to make art together, reflecting on the power of their work to transform Sobrante Park into a hub of food autonomy and abolition. Workshops have included poetry writing, cyanotypes, stencil making, portraiture, and screen-printing, all onsite at the nursery. We have used the time to grow into deep relationship and imagine how art can always be a tool for building power through storytelling and joyful collaboration.
photos by Hiroyo Kaneko
The next phase of this project will shift to tell the story of how childhood memories of formerly incarcerated dads inspired the neighborhood to plant almost 1000 fruit trees so that once again, kids can ride their bikes around and snack on fruit growing in everyone’s yards. Stay tuned!
Work from this project is part of “Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action and Dialogue,” at the Albuquerque Museum September 2024 - March 2025Supported by Reentry Through the Arts & Kala Art Institute 2021 & 2023, Alternative Exposure, Southern Exposure 2024, and The Creative Work Fund 2025