who belongs?
a series of public engagements exploring our relationship to land, with artist Brooke Toczylowski and guest collaborators, June – October, 2024, Westmoor Park Community Gardens, West Hartford, Connecticut
This project was made possible with an Artists Respond Grant from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
tending community, June 15th. Participants joined artist Brooke Toczylowski in the garden for an introduction to the who belongs? project. After a short talk and tour of the vegetable and dye allotments, we tended to the land by caring for the plants, then harvested greens and gathered for a community lunch and discussion.
re-remembering through storytelling & land acknowledgments, September 7th. In collaboration with Irene Norman and Paul Wegman from the Institute for American Indian Studies. A collaborative engagement exploring indigenous and colonial relationships to land and plants.
fence raising/razing, August 11th. a participatory performance and installation exploring belonging.
ecological belonging: what’s natural? what’s unnatural? September 21st. Biologist Adolfo Sánchez-Blanco (@dr.bioforever) and artist Brooke Toczylowski engaged participants in a discussion about what’s natural and unnatural in our environment. Using the garden as a living example, we considered how humans have been vectors for invasive species and how we might cultivate regenerative food systems.
post-colonial mapping, October 6th. How might we reconsider our position and relationship to land and place? Using natural inks made from the dye garden, participants were guided through the artist’s conceptual mapping process. Using our senses, we counteracted our capitalist and colonialist culture and brought into relief the vibrancy of more-than-human perspectives.
putting the garden to bed, October 28th. How do we move through grief, take care of ourselves and others, and prepare for a season of dormancy? The garden teaches us about rest and regeneration. In this gathering, we shared stories and tended to the land and plants, getting them ready for winter.