Let’s Re-make!

Click to download the poster.

The Library of Radiant Optimism for Let’s Re-Make the World began from an ongoing discussion Brett and I were having. The discussion coalesced around books we both owned and an experimental cultural center in Chicago we were both involved in, Mess Hall. We saw similarities between the culture of support that Mess Hallers fostered among each other and the people that attended events at the space, and several of the books that ultimately ended up forming the basis of the library.

In 2006, with the project just beginning, we spent time in Copenhagen working out of the YNKB space, run by Finn Thybo Andersen and Kirsten Dufour Andersen. Mentors for the project in many ways, from a comparable practice and aesthetic, to general ideological support, we collaborated with them on organizing what became a three-year project. Our collaboration resulted in 2 poster shows, one at YNKB, another at Mess Hall. We co-organized two weekend-long gatherings to give presentations and share work in each location.

We made a book about all our work together. It includes posters and contributions by many others. You can download a copy now: click here. You can also write us for a hard copy. We would love to trade with you for it.

Happy reading!

I am currently listening to Michael Pollan talking about his open letter to the next president. Pollan thinks that our current relationship with food and how we grow it is too dependent on fossil fuels. He suggests more locally grown produce, crop diversity and growing practices based on utilizing the energy of the sun versus our current petroleum-based system. Pollan’s book, Botany of Desire, discusses the history of 4 plants among them is the apple. The apple chapter discusses growing practices, apple agriculture, and the history of American folkloric hero, Johnny Appleseed.

Two artists, Katie Hargrave and Amber Ginsburg, have been doing their own investigations into the shifting history of Appleseed and the apple, which John Chapman, later dubbed Appleseed, helped spread throughout the Midwest. Hargrave and Ginsburg are collaborators currently working on two long term projects about the origins, implications, and manifestations of the myth of Johnny Appleseed in American culture. Through this unfolding investigation they touch on subjects of national identity, food security, local food, memory, diaspora, and place. I recently had the opportunity to talk with them via email about this project.

Hargrave and Ginsburg are exploring and embodying the implications of the mobile Appleseed mythology in Johnny Appleseed (As American As Apple Pie) and Johnny Appleseed (Two Trees). For the former, they not only  created an exhibition, but they have been eating an apple a day since September 27, 2008. For Two Trees, they are planting apple trees, one from seed and a second from a graft of what is rumored to be the last remaining tree planted by Johnny Appleseed. They chose both seed and graft to represent the multiple interpretations of the Appleseed history, as well as the different growing techniques for apple trees. Hargrave and Ginsburg work through dense history and layered cultural meanings with poetic gestures, grounding their ideas in exchange and discussion. The moment of exchange and sharing can be via food, a game, or planting a tree. The edited interview follows after the jump.

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Tapped silver maple tree

The second tapped silver maple

Our neighbor and collaborator - working with a group of us to increase ultra-local food production in our hood - the Wine Punk (aka Sam Vandegrift), tapped the two silver maple trees in our front yard this week. He identified over 30 trees in a 3-block area to tap and collect the sap from. It is really amazing to see all the trees with gallon milk jugs hanging off of the antique taps Sam found. It has created a bit of a buzz among our neighbors, which is exactly what we wanted to happen. We will increase our activities in the next months, bringing greater visibility and discussion in order to slowly transform how we, and our neighbors, think about our living and shared spaces and how they function on a daily basis.

Once the sap has been collected, Sam will boil it down to make maple syrup. We are currently planning a pancake breakfast in Sam’s driveway once the weather permits.

Block by block cooperation!

On Groundhog’s Day Eve we, along with a group of neighbors, organized a seed swap at the Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana. We wanted the swap to be open to all even if you had never saved seeds before. Kit Condell from Revolution Seeds spoke about the fine art of seed saving. There are many ins and outs if you want to save the seeds to reap the same fruit the following year. Kit gave a great talk. We were most interested in the idea that seeds should be shared, not patented, and used to grow food every year! Once you start saving seeds and growing, then you can learn more about the ways to cross-breed and preserve varities. The 1rst annual Groundhog’s Day Eve was all about getting started. Lisa Bralts-Kelly gave a seed starting demo, complete with a giant lamp fixture, for regular flourescent bulbs-no expensive grow lights nesseccary.

About 60 people attended the event. Folks brought seeds that they had dumpstered, seeds that they had saved from purchased produce, seeds that they had saved from private gardens, seeds from collective gardens, and many more. There were seeds for edibles and non-edibles alike. We can’t wait to do it again next year.

We are very happy that the transition town discussion is starting to happen here in Urbana/Champaign. The first informal gathering, of people interested in transitioning the area into a more sustainable, resilient, independent infrastructure away from dependency on petroleum, is happening in Urbana on February 13. We plan on attending.

Here is a listing of the gathering from Transition Champaign County’s web site:

While the Transition Champaign County website is a great organizing and communication tool (and we now have close to 90 members), it cannot substitute for face-to-face interaction for getting to know each, sharing our passion for things sustainable and green, and organizing plans and projects. So trust your luck on this first Friday the 13th of 2009 and join the founding members of TCC on Main Street of our County Seat for our first informal get-together.

Time: February 13, 2009 at 5:30pm
Location: Crane Alley Restaurant & Bar
Street: 115 W. Main Street
City/Town: Urbana
Website or Map: http://www.crane-alley.com/
Contact Info: 217-384-7526
Event Type: Get-together
Organized By: Gary Cziko

http://transitionchampaigncounty.ning.com/

Here in Urbana it’s cold and snowy, but a bunch of folks in our neighborhood are thinking about spring time, sunshine, green leaves, and growing things. To get ready, we are planning a Seed Swap to share seeds and tips for starting seedlings indoors. Many kinds of plants benefit from an early start indoors; then you can put them in the ground and reap fruit sooner. “Starting” simply means planting the seeds, watering then, and giving them light, usually from a fluorescent lamp. Most of us involved in organizing the Seed Swap are on the same level, beginning gardeners. We have organized the Seed Swap to build community around local food issues, in addition to learning about types of seeds and how to grow them.

Some of us have saved seeds from our garden, from vegetables we bought at the store. or extra seeds leftover from the last season that didn’t get planted. These are all good sources and trading seeds in a lot of fun. We are for gardening anytime, anywhere, and anyone can do it.

Important Event Information:
Day: Sunday, February 1rst, 2009 (Groundhogs Day Eve)
Time:1-4pm Location : The Common Ground Food Co-op Lincoln Square Village
300 S Broadway Suite 166 Urbana, IL 61801

( Thanks to the Co-op for hosting this event!)

Seed Swap Poster

Download the poster, with original drawings by Lilly Bralts-Kelley, and tips on seed starting from Lisa Bralts-Kelly, Urbana Farmer’s Market Manager and all around awesome lady.

Download the Seed Swap poster here!

We are happy to announce that we have made a PDF of Ken Isaac’s extremely rare and hard to find book, How to Build Your Own Living Structures, available for download. When the started our Library, we had a copy, but lost it during an exhibition.

We would like to Sarah Lewison for loaning her copy to us. This book is one of the first we chose for inclusion in The Library of Radiant Optimism for Let’s Re-Make the World and it reflects many of the things we focus on: how-to guides, creative material use, sustainable communty building, and writing from personal research. The book has photos of Ken Isaacs and his family building and living in several of the designs.  It also includes ideas for how to arrange the structures for small villages, as well as living structure vehicles.

Below are some images from the book. Please go here to download the book. Happy downloading!

We recently put up more posters around the Nashville area for the Art Makes Place project. These are some of our favorite shots. We put up a lot in Nashville’s 5 Points neighborhood. Thanks to Caroline Fortune for taking pictures, and to local artists, Lisa Bachman, Ryan Hogan, and Lauren Stinson for helping us hang over 60 posters all over the city. Lisa tells us that the folks at Fido Coffee Shop, where she maintains a day job baking the best vegan treats you ever ate, are keeping a close watch on the poster there and that people are actually tearing off the tags. That is some exciting news.

We have started hanging the posters in our town and giving them to folks to post in other cities. So, look for the I will help poster in your neighborhood soon.

From September 24-November 23, 2008, we had the opportunity to participate in the exhibition Hello Liberty! in Atlanta, Georgia. Lisa Alembik invited us to participate. Here are some images of the installation:

Dalton Gallery at Agnes Scott Collegepostersdetail of The Library sign

Detail of The Library letters made from recycled paper.

Some recent posters.

The Dalton Gallery at Agnes Scott College housed the exhibition. We are excited about this because the Agnes Scott College Library purchased several of copies of titles from the Library of Radiant Optimism. These copies will remain in the school library as a permanent Library of Radiant Optimism collection.