“A sustainable agriculture is one which depletes neither the people nor the land.”- Wendell Berry
This statement perfectly captures the essence of the new Museum of Vancouver exhibit entitled Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food, which opens tonight at the museum. MOV has teamed up with FarmFolkCityFolk to bring together communities and their passion for sustainable agriculture.
The large-scale photography of Ontario-born Brian Harris drew me in. His personal style captures the many faces of local food farming. “This series of photos is dedicated to those who see the beauty in small scale sustainable farming,” says Harris. The exhibit focuses on year-round organic farming by season. Displays are thoughtfully married to the photography.
[Young Farmers Bhumi Organic Farm, by Brian Harris]
A curious addition to the photography is a Communal Wall of Preserves. The public is invited to donate jars of home-preserved fruits and vegetables to the display, in the hope that the wall will grow over the course of the exhibit. Jars of all shapes and sizes (maximum height of 11″, or 28 cm) can be dropped off at the Museum’s front desk for inclusion onto the Wall!
Throughout the fall, look to MOV to host a series of food-based events, including talks, tours, the Food and Beers speaker series (hosted by David Beers, of The Tyee), and others. I hope to cover more of the series in future blog posts.
The opening night event is open to the public. Tickets are $15 and available either on the website or at the door. Home Grown at MOV will continue to January 2, 2011.