Plants, Life, Riverside is an interpretive project about plants in the urban landscape of Riverside, CA.
Cynthia Herrera is a photographer and MFA candidate at California State University, Long Beach who explores new spaces through photography. In her current project, Making Ground, Cynthia tells the story of immigrant families and how they use the past and the present to create new spaces. In her project, Cynthia also addresses where families place plants around their homes and it is this element that inspired the theme for Making Ground and its focus on transplanting, grafting, herbs and community stories.
Making Ground had its beginning at Gloria’s Nursery, a family owned nursery operated by Celestino and Gloria Garcia. Cynthia chose the nursery for her project because she wanted to explore a space where families visit. Cynthia has spent a considerable amount of time learning from Celestino and Gloria and completing an oral history about the nursery. This history includes information about the development of Riverside’s historic Arlington Greenbelt.
Making Ground workshops are where the community can share living histories and practices that create roots, “make ground”, and generate new histories challenging traditional notions of space, place, ownership and access.
You are invited to take part in Making Ground and to contribute to this unique series. Please join Cynthia and fellow neighbors at one or more of the following event:
-
Community Cuttings
Saturday, October 25, 2014
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Storytelling and the community history of plants. This transplanting workshop will be held at the Orange Terrace Community Library at 20010-B Orange Terrace Parkway, Riverside, CA 92508. (map)
La Sierra University Artist Talk and Pop-Up Transplanting Workshop
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Time TBA
Making Ground: Community Engagement as Art Practice, Space and Place | Access and Agency will be presented by Cynthia Herrera.
La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, CA 92505 (map)
Common Ground: A Stakeholder Event
Sunday, November 9, 2014
10 AM – 3 PM
Community members are invited to join workshops in grafting, transplanting and growing herbs in domestic spaces in an exchange of community histories. Participants will also enjoy a host of dishes from recipes made from plants grown on site. This community event will occur at Gloria’s Nursery in Riverside’s historic Arlington Greenbelt at 2078 Van Buren Blvd, Riverside, CA (map)
Living Sculpture
Sunday, February 22, 2015
9 AM – 1 PM
Participants will learn about the transitions of healing plants by local curanderas and help create a growing sculpture. The community will be invited to share histories and bring plants to share and exchange. This event will be held at The Farmer’s Market at Galleria at Tyler, 1299 Galleria at Tyler, Riverside, CA 92503 (map)
Making Ground is a community engagement project for hosted by the Riverside Art Museum.
Inquiries about Cynthia’s workshops should be sent to Making Ground 2014.
Event Information to Download and Share (PDF)
ArtPlantae Today 