Harvest 2024
A collaboration of urban farming and public art » Una colaboración entre huertas urbanas y arte público
About the project
The creation of art begins within schools in East Boston and the gardens of Eastie Farm. There, students are learning to grow and care for plants, investigate where food comes from in our community, learn about food waste management, pollination, biodiversity, and the importance of food accessibility. Together with professional artists, students express their ideas creatively to inspire a new series of large-scale murals in the spaces they share with their community.
Through the process of making youth-led public art, students find their creative voice to inspire and empower future generations to take action and care for our planet, starting in their own neighborhood.
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La creación de arte comenzó dentro de las escuelas de East Boston y los jardines de “Eastie Farm”. Allí, los estudiantes están aprendiendo a cultivar y cuidar plantas, investigar de dónde provienen los alimentos en nuestra comunidad, aprender sobre el manejo del desperdicio de alimentos, la polinización, la biodiversidad y la importancia de la accesibilidad a los alimentos. Junto con artistas profesionales, los estudiantes expresaron sus ideas de manera creativa para inspirar una nueva serie de murales a gran escala en la escuela.
Estos murales dirigidos por jóvenes inspirarán y empoderarán a las generaciones futuras para que tomen medidas y cuiden nuestro planeta y todos sus habitantes.
Dig in
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Hands-on activities at Eastie Farm
Students in East Boston are getting their hands in the soil, caring for plants, investigating the life cycles of our food, and exploring the importance of pollinators, open space, biodiversity and food accessibility.
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Youth-driven ideation and design process
The students will also have the opportunity to participate in art activities and workshops that teach how we can use ARTivism to express our ideas and inspire positive action for our planet.
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Mural painting and art installations
The workshops are joined by local and international artists who work with the students to translate their ideas into thought-provoking imagery in the form of large-scale murals and installations. These monumental artworks at the schools will educate and inspire a new generation of environmental stewards and ARTivists.
2023 Activations
“Splash Pollinators” by Felipe Ortiz in collaboration with Alighieri students
Dante Alighieri Montessori School
In 2023, local muralist Felipe Ortiz collaborated with students at the Dante Alighieri Montessori School.
Felipe is a resident of East Boston, and as a Colombian-American ARTivist, he has a special connection with many of the students of a shared experience and heritage. This made him an excellent fit for the Harvest program. Felipe has extensive experience creating and facilitating workshops locally and internationally, and he hopes to continue to grow the Colombian connection through these collaborations.
Driven by the youth workshops at the school, the mural includes pollinators like humming birds and bees. The Beehive is a central theme of the Alighieri School, and Upper L students participated in the painting process by painting their own bee in the mural.
“Elephant” and “Flower” by Tom Bob for the Patrick J Kennedy School
Patrick J Kennedy School
Tom Bob hails from New Bedford Massachusetts, and his street art has become widely recognizable around the globe. Tom Bob’s transformations of objects—both seen and unseen—present an exciting opportunity to activate at the PJK school as they head into a long renovation and construction process. Tom Bob sees life and joy in utilitarian everyday things all around us. In drawing workshops with Tom Bob, students will reimagine their built environment around them, bringing objects to life with bright colors.
Tom Bob will install a series of his work around the school both indoors and outdoors, creating a treasure hunt of street art throughout the campus.
Harvest ARTivists
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FELIPE ORTIZ
East Boston
@felipeortizart -
GLEO
Colombia
@gleo_co -
GRIS ONE
Colombia
@grisone -
TOM BOB
New Bedford
@tombobnyc -
YENNYCREATE
Boston
@yennycreate
Workshops
Murals
"AYOTE'S GARDEN" by GLEO (Colombia) 2022
“LA FUERZA DE POLINIZACIÓN” by GRIS ONE & Hanimal (Colombia) 2022
"TOGETHER WE GROW" by YennyCreate (Boston) 2022
“SPLASH POLLINATORS” by Felipe Ortiz (East Boston) 2023
“CORN ON THE COB” one of 8 transformed objects at PJK by Tom Bob (USA) 2023
Meet the Team
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Matt Pollock
Project Director
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Felipe Ortiz
Curator & Artist Team Lead
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Kannan Thiruvengadam
Founder & Director, Eastie Farm
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Heather O'Brien
Workshop Organizer
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Hanimal
Supporting Artist
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Edgar Dominguez
Videographer
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Ana Bess Moyer Bell
Teaching Artist
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Fellipe Ribeiro
Artist Assistant
We want to hear from you!
Love this project? Do you have suggestions to improve our process? Community feedback helps us create more impactful and sustainable public art efforts. Please let us know how you feel about the Harvest project by taking a short survey:
