Plant Love
Plant love is a multi-disciplinary arts project in partnership with Scarborough Village Community Garden and local residents featuring art-making activities and performances for and about the garden. Despite the global pandemic, oral history interviews were conducted, artwork was created, participatory arts activities were delivered, and performances were rehearsed remotely and presented with a mix of in-person and virtual outcomes.
Visual arts activities will be offered as printable templates to be filled in at home, with limited mail-out art kits available to local residents and garden volunteers. We will also offer several art workshops via phone and video conference. Material gathered through these activities will become part of artwork for the Harvest Festival, including textile banners, puppets, music and more.
Designed by Marianne Alas and Karis-Jones Pard
Designed by Beth Helmers and Karis Jones-Pard
Inspired by the community gardener interviews and featured at Scarborough Village Harvest Festival, this gallery provides a visual and aural insight into the plants we love. Illustration by Rhonda Lucy, Graphic Design by Parker Dirks & Hand lettering by Scarborough Village Community Garden volunteers and artists. Audio editing and sound design by Ahmed Hegazy, Voices by Jumblies Theatre Creators Playground, facilitated by Natalie Fasheh and Ahmed Hegazy.
Plants in the Garden
Audio Transcript: Sage is soft and fragrant, Sage smells like a warm hug, Sage is medicinal and proven to reduce anxiety, Sage feels like velvet, Sage is light, Sage is calming, Sage feels like velvet, Sage is light, Sage is calming, Sage is traditional, Sage is stolen
Audio Transcript: Potato is starch incarnate, Potatoes are incredibly nutrient-rich, Potato is life. Fun fact: in Bangla we call it Aloo, All potatoes are mashed potatoes to your stomach, Potatoes are a nightshade, Potatoes! Need I say more? Fun fact: Potatoes are the first vegetable grown in space
The Gardeners
There are many other wonderful gardeners at the SVCG! Here we feature the few gardeners we interviewed. They spoke with us about their plant endeavors at the community garden and elsewhere, and shared plant knowledge.
Beverly, the lifelong learning French teacher, began volunteering at the Scarborough Village Community Garden in June 2020. She wanted to learn more about gardening as well as discover new ways to “understand how nature works.” Also, she wanted to meet new people and make the best out of her time during the pandemic. Through her involvement with the garden, Beverly feels she is a part of something greater than herself. She admires the traditional practices around planting that connect different communities on various levels as well as foster a space for generational knowledge. For Beverly, there’s a healing and empowering quality to garden in the midst of a city, while connecting with the Earth. She feels it is important for our society to learn more about where our food comes from and how it is made
Karina is a new gardener and new to the Scarborough Village neighbourhood. During the pandemic, and to avoid the seclusion of lockdowns, she decided to involved with the garden. Since then, Karina has gardened flowers and many vegetables. She also has learned to weed, water, and compost. Karina enjoys listening to music and chatting with friends while gardening. She also appreciates the cross-cultural plant knowledge shared across gardeners. Karina feels welcomed by the gardening community and enjoys being a part of it.
Plant Love Songs
Music by SlowPitchSound and Community Arts Guild Choir
In partnership with Scarborough Village Community Garden,
