Ones to Watch: The Urban Farming Guys

And you thought you'd made a real sacrifice when you started carrying a refillable travel mug instead of using and throwing away Styrofoam coffee cups.


The Urban Farming Guys are a band of about 20 families who consciously traded their peaceful suburban homesteads for one of Kansas City's worst neighborhoods. The tribe scooped up homes within five blocks of one another and recently acquired nine adjacent, vacant lots (with more on the horizon) onto which they're imposing crops for organic gardening designed to feed the community.

Like the sound of all that? These guys are definitely worth following and getting involved with. Learn more about their projects and how you can lend a hand here.

Many thanks to Pablo Patino for this news tip.

Introducing betterArts Resident Ruby Amanze

"I want to make art and live in peace... even if it is just for a short amount of time," Ruby Amanze wrote in her letter of intent to betterArts. "As many artists who work full-time jobs (non-studio employment) will testify, studio time is 'in-between' time. After work, on the weekends, whenever I can make the time to work on a drawing. Those who are passionate, will make the work no matter what."

For the next week, Ruby will be living, breathing, and working on her art right here at Better Farm as the latest artist-in-resident to pay us a visit.

Ruby, who serves as directory of education at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in Brooklyn, N.Y., holds a bachelors of fine art (Summa Cum Laude, no less) from the Tyler School of Art, a masters of fine art from Cranbrook Academy, and has been featured in more than a dozen juried and group exhibitions since 2004. She's been a teaching artist at the Fabric Workshop and Museum Education and Department in Philadelphia, Penn., a lecturer of photography at Ursinus College, and a lecturer of design at the Drexel University's Department of Art and Art History.

"Being in a quiet environment surrounded by nature would be a welcomed change to my Brooklyn, N.Y., daily routine," she told us. "I'm a very simple girl and I believe in, and aspire to, a simple and clean life. My father grew up in a village in Imo State, Nigeria. Learning to farm and cultivate the earth had been, and is, the way of life for generations before and after him. Likewise, my mother grew up on the coast in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, a major fishing port. Many aspects of their upbringing have been instilled in me and I have since taken an interest in finding ways to live a more ecologically friendly life from the food I eat, the types of businesses I support, and the products I use in my house and on my person. Better Farm sounds like the perfect combination of space to step back for a minute and dedicate myself to making art and living in a healthy environment amongst like-minded individuals."

In her time here, we're going to have Ruby working on the grounds, in the greenhouse and gardens, and involved in daily "family dinner" parties. Stay tuned for pics of her progress here! 

See more images of her work after the jump!

 

 

For more information about betterArts' residency program, click here. To learn more about Ruby and her work, click here.

Earth Day Cleanup a Total Wash in the Very Best of Ways

Photo/Harley McConnell Redwood residents brave last Saturday's heavy rainfall to participate in an Earth Day cleanup along Route 37 sponsored by Better Farm. From left are Chuck Kendall, Nicole Caldwell, Fran Farren, Rick Lopez, Mike Brown, Lowell Ciliberti, and Fred Ciliberti. Not pictured: Lauren Evans

Better Farm's 2011 Workshop Catalogue

Please visit www.betterfarm.org/upcoming-workshops for further information and a complete listing. Click on images for a larger viewing size.

Logo design by Corinne Rochelle.

Planting the Seed(s)

Baby seeds settle into their temporary home in Better Farm's greenhouse.

It's that time of year again, when we stock the greenhouse with all the seeds that will feed the Farm—and anyone stopping in at our farm stand or booth at farmers markets—all summer and fall long. Jennifer and I last week got the proverbial ball rolling by starting most of the seeds indoors (peas, string beans, and pumpkins, among others, will get planted directly into the soil outside). Here's a shot of some of the seeds we were dealing with:

We dutifully set out on the project, dipping all the baby seeds into fresh potting soil. Okra, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, squash, cabbage, cauliflower, and more dove into their planter trays one by one with a little TLC from Jennifer and yours truly.

Next step was carting the little babies outside to the greenhouse. I quickly assembled our new shelving units while Jennifer did the heavy lifting. And then it was all over, until the second planting group gets its start in the coming weeks.

Seeds from Collected Seed Farm and Home Harvest Garden Supply. Greenhouse shelves courtesy of David Garlock. E-mail us at info@betterfarm.org with any organic gardening questions!

Title Contest for Artist-in-Residence's Painting

By Jennifer Elizabeth Crone

First ever contest! The following is my new diptych (= 1 painting on 2 canvases) and I want YOU to name it! What does it remind you of/make you think of/look like to you? Click here to be redirected to my blog, where you can leave your suggestion in the "comment" field. The person who suggests the title I choose will win a drawing (by me) in a frame! I can't wait to read your entries!

Streamlined Showerheads

Delta Faucet 75155 Water-Amplifying Showerhead in Chrome, courtesy of Monica Murphy.

Showerheads of the past (which continue to comprise the majority of showerheads currently in your home showers) generally spray five to six gallons of water per each minute you're sudsing up. Newer models generally halve that amount, to 2.5 gallons per minute. In our ongoing effort to use fewer resources and less energy in general, last year Better Farm  picked up an Evolve Showerhead for the new upstairs bathroom that not only uses less water, but also reduces its flow to a trickle when the water reaches 95 degrees. When you're done brushing your teeth or whatever other multi-tasking you do while waiting for the shower to heat up, you simply pull the cord next to the shower head and resume bathing.

For the other, older upstairs bathroom, we've been stuck with this rickety old thing:

Besides being fairly crusty, it's an older showerhead. That means it's not exactly eco-friendly. So when Monica Murphy offered us a low-flow Delta model  she'd used in her Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment, I couldn't refuse. This head costs $10 and only uses 1.6 gallons of water per minute (without sacrificing anything in performance, believeyoume). You'll score 36 percent in water savings over a standard showerhead, nice water pressure, and a clean conscience. Doesn't that sound nice?

The installation was ridiculously straightforward: Unscrew old showerhead, apply threading tape to the threaded pipe, screw on new showerhead.

For purchasing information, click here.

Guest Room Gets Gussied Up

This spare guest room had a bad case of the blahs, from uninspired details to drab walls to cobbed-together curtain rods. Finally getting to enjoy the afterglow of Better Farm's distinctly unglamorous first round of renovations (insulation, sheet rock and dry wall, dumpster hauls, rewiring, wood stove installation, etc.), I can at last begin the significantly more fun job of interior design.

While we've had great success with reappropriating certain items for updates around the Farm, this room was going to require a few new things—albeit with really good deals—namely:

• Full mattress and box spring set, $150 at Mattress Discount in Watertown
• Fresh coat of gorgeous green paint, $11.98 for Olympic eco-friendly paint at Lowe's 
• Fresh sheets, mattress protector, pillowcases, and blanket, $60 at Ollie's Bargain Outlet in Watertown
• Fancy new curtain rods, $25 at Lowe's

That put us well-within budget, with the whole overhaul running us less than $250. Here are a few more before shots:

And now, drum roll please...

Curtains and black-and-white print courtesy of Laura Caldwell; paper-cutting of Better Farm grass courtesy of Mira Elwell; vases courtesy of Laura Caldwell; lights left by previous tenant and stocked with eco-friendly, energy-efficient bulbs.

Cabinet reclaimed from dumpster; nest chair left by previous tenants.

Steamer trunk courtesy of Laura Caldwell; elephant art courtesy of Bob Bowser; nest chair left by previous tenants.

For information about lodging at Better Farm, click here .

Earth Day Cleanup Slated for April 16

Sign Up Now for Figure-Drawing Classes at Arts on the Square

Spring Renovations Underway

With the weather finally cooperating enough to allow Better Farmers to move about freely on the property, we've jumped headfirst into spring renovations.

From replacing a broken greenhouse door to (finally!) installing closet doors over what were tapestry-covered alcoves, from planting seeds (stay tuned for pics and garden maps!) to applying fresh coats of paint to long-neglected rooms, from chopping wood for next fall to new couches and chandeliers, the Farm is abuzz with activity.

Here are a few photos of what we've been up to:

Greenhouse gets a door transplant after winter winds break the old door in two. Door transplant performed by Mark Huyser. New door salvaged from the Riveredge Resort.

Barn goes from hay storage to art studio, courtesy of Mark Huyser, Colby Sutton, Joel Zimmer, Mike Brown, and consulting help from David Garlock, Michael Frenette, and Scott Mueller. Windows from Garlock Building Supplies & Design Center.

Basement morphs into darkroom one garbage haul at a time. First phase of cleanup courtesy of Erin Fulton, Mike Brown, Brian Purwin, and Nicole Caldwell.

Barn's first-floor windows get replaced with lovely, large improvements. Window framing and setting courtesy of Mark Huyser. Windows from Garlock Building Supplies & Design Center.

Human birdhouse gets the start of a back wall and a door frame, courtesy of Mark Huyser. Lumber from Redwood Lumber.

To get involved with these and other projects throughout the spring, summer, and fall, please contact us for more information on volunteering or internships.


Not pictured:
Bluebird houses cleaning and repair courtesy of Mike Brown
New couch courtesy of Laura Caldwell and Bryan Pivar
Greenhouse shelving courtesy of David Garlock
Chicken Mobile Stagecoach Tractor sprucing up and ongoing love & attention courtesy of Jennifer Elizabeth Crone
Guest bedroom renovation made possible through the generous donation of the Purwin family

The Process of a Portrait

By betterArts resident Jennifer Elizabeth Crone

In tenth grade, my then-boyfriend broke up with me a week before homecoming, right as the bell rang for me to go into art class. Seeing how upset I was, my teacher took me into her office and showed me a portrait she'd painted of her ex. Her advice? "Don't paint your boyfriends. Because then you break up, and you've gotta look at this guy." Ten years later I still remember that, but I painted Nicholas anyway, because I love him. And he would never break up with me right before homecoming.

To begin this piece, I applied vintage maps to a canvas, as well as a print-out of a ship I used as a source photo from a previous painting. I also incorporated some schematics I found while on a hike with Nick and his dad in Doodle Town, N.Y.

Next, I painted the canvas with beiges, whits, pinks, tans, and blues, allowing the maps and textures to shine.

For the pose, I used a source image that I took of Nick in December. I did a few preliminary sketches to get familiar with the shape, then drew a very simple line-drawing on the canvas to start.

Then I painted Nick, an hours-long act performed without breaking or taking photos:

I made the pillow behind him blow (in reality a dull tan), and left some of the maps showing through.
I added texture and light to the hair, added some aqua in behind his head and shoulders, and blending it all in. And the finished product:

"Swimming", oil and mixed media on canvas

Originally published at Jennifer Elizabeth Crone's blog, Sugarheart. To learn more about betterArts' residency program and to apply, click here.

Business Stamps are the New Black

Better Farm stamp on School of Visual Arts postcard, photograph by Chana Lesser

You know the drill: Americans use too many resources. More specifically, we've got less than 5 percent of the world's population but use 30 percent of the world's paper. More than 40 percent of wood pulp is used for paper production. Printing and writing paper adds up to about half of all United States paper production.

So, you do your part. You recycle wherever possible. You consider the environment before printing e-mails, driving directions, recipes, or what-have-yous.

But one papery surface seems unshakeable: that of the business card.

It's convenient, it's good networking, it's practical. Carrying a stash of business cards is classier than programming your work phone into people's cells, makes you seem more put-together than that guy scribbling his contact info onto cocktail napkins, and gives an aura of respectability to any professional person.

Patrick Bateman gets hot and bothered by Bryce's classy business card in American Psycho.

So how to achieve all this without doing something destructive to Mother Dearest? You could look into soy-based inks and recycled paper for your business cards, or take it another step further by creating business stamps. These can be printed on anything—from thick paper stock to mimic real business cards (recycled, of course); or cool gift wrap salvaged from your last birthday party, brown paper bags you'd otherwise throw in the recycling bin, or colorful pages from discarded magazines or postcards. Don't forget skin, walls, envelopes, fabric... The proverbial sky is the limit.

We did our fair share of Internet research on the subject, and found a nice self-inking Modico brand stamp at overnightprintscom. Wanting to keep the design universal for all needs, the Better Farm and betterArts stamps simply bear their respective logos, websites, and phone numbers. Check out the many faces a single stamp can have: