Fertile Ground
The Fertile Ground Project uses public space interventions that address issues with food access in Jackson, Mississippi through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge
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In 2018, we co-authored a grant proposal for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge for the City of Jackson. Our proposal was 1 of 5 selected out of 200 American cities submissions, providing $1M in project funding and administrative support from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Mississippi has consecutively been ranked as the most unhealthy state in the nation based on statistics measuring food insecurity, diabetes, heart disease, and malnutrition.
The project’s focus was to work with an interdisciplinary team of collaborators: farmers, chefs, nutritionists, doctors, architects, engineers, and artists to bring awareness around the civic issue of food insecurity.
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2020
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City-Wide
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Jackson, Mississippi
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Project Partners: City of Jackson
Funding: Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge
Credits: Travis Crabtree, Salam Rida Project Managers, MSU Architecture + Landscape Architecture Design Build Studio, Kara Walker Studio - FIGA, Office of Jonathan Tate - Smith Park, Drew Dempsey Photography, A Plus Signs and Creative - Duling Ave and Congress Street, AND Gallery - Tyler Tadlock and Adrienne Dominick, RVTR + Akoaki, Footprint Farms, Fertile Ground Farms, Borrowed Productions
Alongside developing urban planning interventions and events, the project team also developed and led a documentary titled “Fertile Ground: Inspiring Dialogue About Food Access”.
Our method for the project was to identify the areas with highest food insecurity in Jackson and work with communities to create 20 public space interventions that deployed public art, edible gardens, programmed events, and other creative placemaking strategies.
