Project Grow Matters

Saturday, May 21, 2011

What Is Project Grow?

Project Grow is a collaborative community which enables and encourages "Mentally Diverse" individuals to earn incomes by creating and selling their own art as well as from urban farming and raising animals on neighborhood plots. The program's primary location is just a couple blocks north of the Broadway Bridge on North Williams Avenue in North Portland, and describes itself on Linkedin as "an Alternative to Employment (ATE) program" which also provides music appreciation, yoga, and weekly field trips for participants.

According to Oregon Live, the online blog for the Oregonian newspaper, the founders of Project Grow hope this program will help alter how sheltered workshops for mentally and physically challenged adults operate. Individuals enrolled are given many options and asked what they would like to do rather than be given strict rules or instruction. The project is partly funded by Medicaid as well as from community donations and the sale of produce, eggs, fiber, and artwork created by its participants. Unfortunately, despite much community involvement and many donations, Project Grow is in financial jeopardy.

Ellen Spitaleri, a reporter for the Portland Tribune, explains that Portland Grow has converted previously unusable or misused land into a thriving artist and urban farming community. Project artists show their work all over Portland, and New Seasons, area restaurants, and community members purchase their produce. All deliveries are done by bicycle.

Natasha Wheat, the founder of Project Grow, provides her vision of Project Grow on her personal website. She proposed the project, which included income from art and urban farming, to Port City Development in 2009 as an alternate from unfulfilling factory work positions which had been the only alternatives to "mentally diverse" individuals within the previous program. Since Project Grow was created, the program has initiated CSA programs ("Community Supported Agriculture" and "Community Supported Art"), and others can purchase produce and art prior to its being harvested or created.

I have been a Community Service Supervisor and skills trainer for developmentally disabled projects at over a half dozen locations, so I know from personal experience that this program raises the bar in regard to how such workshops should be conceptualized and run. Just thinking about my visits to the sites makes me smile. Project Grow is special in that though there are many social vocational service programs which help provide work for developmentally disabled adults, Project Grow is uniquely egalitarian and functions with little to no distinguishable hierarchy. Its artists, employees, and volunteers collaborate and interact seamlessly as equals, partners, and friends. The below video is just one example of this.

PeopleParty: February 11, 2011 from ProjectGrowPortland on Vimeo.

Alexander Johnson, contributor for the Eliot Neighborhood blog, agrees. He reported that at Project Grow "the line between helper and helped is blurry... It's like walking into a classroom and being unable to distinguish the teacher from the students". Everyone contributes and is heard at meetings. Everyone involved has a say as to how the program will function as well as chooses their role in within their common vision.

Works Cited:

“About”. Project Grow. Retrieved 15 May 2011 .

Goodman, Holly. “The Creativity Beyond Disability”. OregonLive. 5 November
2009 .

Johnson, Alexander. “Port City Digs New Garden”. Eliot Neighborhood Blog.
1 April 2010 .

“North Portland Farm”. Project Grow. Retrieved 15 May 2011.

“Project Grow- part of Port City Developement”. Linkedin. Retrieved 15
May 2011.

Spitaleri, Ellen. “Project Grow Creates New Opportunities for Disabled”. Portland
Tribune. 9 December 2010 .

Wheat, Natasha. "North Portland Farm: Project Grow". Natasha Wheat. Retrieved
15 May 2011.

I took the above picture, but the video is from Vimeo.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Contemporary Art Themes

Project Grow addresses several themes featured in Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 which was written by Jean Robertson and Craig McDaniel.

IDENTITY:

Project Grow most definitely qualifies as a project which addresses identity. Prior to this project, many to most members did not consider themselves artists. Often relegated to factory type employment with below minimum wage incomes, their experiences weren't fun, exciting, or fulfilling. Project Grow believes everyone is an artist, and everyone has a voice and a unique perspective worth sharing. Project Grow is about discovering and expressing unyet tapped identity. This type of identity expression is in stark contrast to works such as James Luna's The Artifact Piece (38) in which he identifies himself in relation to his cultural heritage and past. Project Grow encourages members to transcend cultural identity and to express who they are as individuals as is evidenced above by the weavers and "The Boss".

PLACE:

Project Grow also relates to the contemporary art them of Place. Like Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller's The Paradise Institute (181-2), walking into Project Grow's art studio presents you with a previously unimaginable place which engages all the senses. The smell of paint and the aroma of yummy organic food fills your nostrils. Laughter and music fill your ears. Shelves packed and tables covered with every kind of art supply an artist could want are everywhere. People who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally are painting colorful masterpieces and weaving vibrant tapestries. Everyone is either chatting with friends or is happily working on something they love. Project Grow has created a Utopian Place.

LANGUAGE:

Many Project Grow artists create pieces which involve Language as a form of artistic expression. Similar to Jenny Holzer's From Truisms (215), many of these artists convey their thoughts via written word. Due to Project Grow being such a happy place, it's no wonder many of these works are about love and friendship.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Volunteering

Volunteering at Project Grow is easy and rewarding. When I've gone in, I haven't had to sign in or fill out any forms. I'd just set my things somewhere and ask people if they'd like me to help them or ask what they'd like me to do. One of my favorite moments was when I was feeding goats with a couple of the artists and asked them, "What do you you want me to do?" They looked at each other, looked at me, and both said, "What do you want to do?"

To volunteer, you can contact Emese Ilyes at eilyes@portcitydevelopment.org or just visit their location at 2124 N Williams Ave in Portland. The best time to meet their special artists is often between 9 and 2 on weekdays.

Works Cited:

“Volunteer”. Project Grow.

"Contact". Project Grow. Retrieved 15 May 2011.

Image from Facebook.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Project Grow Artist Profiles

Below are a few profiles of Project Grow artists I have had the pleasure of meeting, though there are many, many more talented artists producing wonderful artwork at the location.

A more thorough list of program artists can be viewed here.

Image sources Project Grow and Facebook.

Artist Profile: Ricky Bearghost

I had the pleasure of meeting Ricky when I volunteered at Project Grow in mid-May. I assisted him in weeding garden beds to prepare for new crops as well as with feeding the goats. He was kind enough to offer me potatoes and showed me what different plants and weeds looked like. He loves Project Grow and thought I talked too much, but he was still extremely friendly.

Ricky loves to work in the art studio and is a talented weaver. When I asked what he was working on currently, he told me he was experimenting with his autograph. As you can see from the images above, Ricky loves to work with color and texture, has an infectious smile, and he likes making money.

Image sources Project Grow and Facebook.

Artist Profile: Dan McClary

Dan is enthusiastic, excited, and positive. He loves Project Grow, and he loves making money from selling his art. I was lucky to have been able to listen to him talk about Project Grow at PSU's MFA Monday Night Lecture Series earlier this year. You can't help but smile while listening to him describe his drawings and why he loves Project Grow (especially when compared to other programs like Hanger Land which he did not like at all). As you can see from the video above, Dan has dancing skills as well, especially after the 3:30 mark. He also gets along with the ladies.

Dan is a person everyone would love to hug and be friends with, and his linear and geometric art is as intricate and as comforting as a handmade quilt. Even though he didn't become an artist until joining Project Grow recently, he is sure he'll be an "art star".

Image sources Project Grow, YouTube, and Facebook.

Artist Profile: Larry Supnet

Larry loves being an artist. It makes him joyously happy to draw and sell his artwork, and he loves the program. Before Project Grow, Larry counted hangers for a job. He hated it. Counting hangers was boring, it made him unhappy, and sometimes it was painful. As you will learn from the above video, Larry would be extremely upset if Project Grow were to close.

Some of his friends told him about Project Grow, and he decided to "check it out". He is so, so happy he did. Larry's art is almost as vibrant and energetic as he is.

Image sources Project Grow , YouTube, and Facebook.

Artist Profile: Jamond Williams

Jamond is a wonderful person and a talented artist who makes everyone around him smile. He enjoys drawing buildings, his friends, and abstract images. Jamond's art reflects his personality in that it is full of bright and happy color. He had a show at his local library, and hopefully he will have another soon.

Image sources Project Grow and Facebook.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Project Replication

While attending Natasha Wheat's Portland State University Lecture Presentation on March 28th, I listened to Wheat and Tim Donovan describe Project Grow and took notes which I then compiled into a list of how to replicate the program:

Get involved with an already established program for developmentally disabled adults.
Even if is seems impossible, envision how the program should evolve to best serve and encourage those enrolled.
Envision how current facilities could be reorganized and repurposed to align with this vision as well as determine what will be needed.
Make an organized and implementable plan.
Ally yourself with like-minded individuals.
Develop a sustainable proposal.
Rally the local community and contact local government in order to gather support.
Get your proposal approved.
Obtain donations of art, farming, and building supplies as well as land.
Establish an environment without hierarchy where all involved collaborate together as partners and facilitate individual growth.
Have many types of events which involve the community.
Encourage and promote volunteerism.
Contact local grocery stores, restaurants, art galleries, libraries, and community members and find venues with which to sell member-produced produce and artwork.
Grow your program organically yet methodically.