Speaking of cabbage...

Artist Dimitri Tsykalov does amazing things with it. Click here to see more of his work. 

Art Farm in Photos

Susan Froyd at Westword summed up Art Farm nicely: 

The weather was gorgeous and sunny, the snacks ample, the live music by Erik Rudolph spirited and I'll be damned if a garden -- in this case, the West Washington Park Community Garden at Second Avenue and Grant Street -- didn't turn out to be just about the nicest gallery space I've ever seen.

She also took some great photos. See all of her photos at the Westword Art blog. Thanks to Eric Matelski at Art Pimp for getting great art into a community garden, thanks to the gardeners at West Wash Park for the gorgeous space, and thanks to everyone that came out to spend a lovely summer evening in the garden with us. 

Photos from Susan Froyd, Westword

Art Farm is happening now!

At 201 Grant Street until 7pm. We have refreshing drinks, plenty of food, and wonderful art. Come visit!

ArtFarm and Gardenpalooza are this weekend!

Two great, free events are happening at the West Washington Park Community Garden this weekend. 

Orange Green Face by artist Ben HenryArt Farm - Harvest: Saturday, August 28th from 3:00 to 7:00
Join Denver Urban Gardens and Eric Matelski for an outdoor community art show featuring live music and artwork from Colorado artists. Beer, wine, and hors d'oeuvres will be served. This event is free and open to the public!

For the last four years Art Farm has brought together a series of outdoor community art shows featuring the works of local artists at different Denver Urban Gardens locations. Each Art Farm show corresponds to a particular stage of the garden and the size of the artwork is focused on the artistic presentation of these themes: seedlings, full bloom, and harvest. The Harvest show will feature a variety of art that complements the garden at its peak. All art is for sale and proceeds will benefit DUG. 

Guitar and flowers by artist Eric MatelskiGardenpalooza: Saturday, August 29th from 10:30 to 2:00
This kid-friendly event will feature activities like making your own organic pizza, a scavenger hunt, a garden toss tournament, sidewalk chalk art, and food provided by Chipotle! Gardenpalooza is hosted by 
the gardeners of West Washington Park Community Garden. This event is also free and open to the 
public. 

West Washington Park Community Garden is located at 201 Grant Street in Denver, just across the street from the Art Students League of Denver. Click here for a map. 

Murals Serve Many Purposes

Johnson students and volunteers put the finishing touches on their new mural, which reads, “We love our garden so very much, please look and don’t touch!” Posted by Jessica Romer, Community Initiatives Coordinator

Originally published in the Connecting Generations newsletter 

It’s not uncommon, especially in a new community garden, for vandalism to occur from time to time. It takes time for neighbors and residents to figure out what the new space is all about, why it is there and how it works. Over time, as gardeners are present and caring for the garden, and talking to passersby about the purpose of the space, we’ve found that the garden becomes a space respected by the community. Of course gardeners can’t be at the garden all the time and a mural, especially one painted by youth in the community, is one way of showing a colorful presence to the surrounding community. This summer, youth across the city have been busy painting murals to make their mark, whether just to add color to the garden, or to let neighbors know that the garden is loved and tended and that it’s greatly appreciated when the space is respected by all.

Park Hill students and Niishia, intern, show off their newly painted bench-back. If your school garden doesn’t have any murals hanging, consider making one for your next art project! Murals are a fun and creative project to do with kids. All you need is a piece of plywood from the hardware store (or alley), and we do suggest indoor/outdoor paint that will endure for multiple seasons. You might also have a brainstorming session with the kids first to decide on a theme. Happy painting!