Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity

The project aims to raise awareness about cultural food injustice and how art can have a collective impact on shared experiences and promote a message for food justice as a human right. Creating social art practices will provide educational opportunities for residences and various stakeholders. The goals and desired outcomes of the project include:

• Provide wider awareness of food insecurity in Orlando.
• Create space for public art to be a catalyst for change.
• Expand and amplify the reach and impact of “Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity”.
• Projects open to working across disciplines with outstanding food and local art partners.
• Provide vital support to artists impacting lives and raising civic consciousness about the importance of diverse perspectives in food justice and a healthy community.
• Further establish that Orlando leads the nation in its belief that the arts are for all, that they are diverse and experimental, that art is vital to who we are, and that art connects us and feeds us.
• Create safe welcoming environments for engagement, contemplation, and exchange without judgment.

Nationally renowned artist Juan William Chávez serves as lead artist.

• City of Orlando departments (Public Art, Office of Community Affairs, Office of the Mayor, Downtown Development Board, CRA, Families, Parks and Recreation)
• Collaborations with several food service non-profits such as 4Roots, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, IDEAS for Us, Hebni Nutrition Consultants, UF/IFAS, and Black Bee Honey.
• Collaborations with art non-profits such as Downtown Arts District, SNAP! Orlando, and FusionFest (Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs).

City of Orlando Project Team:

• Marcia Hope Goodwin, Strategic Lead, Chief Service Officer and Director, Office of Community Affairs, Office of the Mayor
• Shannon Fitzgerald, Curator and Project Lead
• Mary-Stewart Droege, Urban Planner and Food Expert.

The City of Orlando is one of just eight winners from more than 150 project proposals received from 40 different U.S. cities. The winners will develop their respective projects over the course of 24 months. Bloomberg Philanthropies grants will cover project-related expenditures including development, execution, and marketing. 

To learn more about the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, visit publicartchallenge.bloomberg.org. 

About our Art Partners: 

Mennello Museum of American Art enriches the public through exhibitions, education, programs, and publications that celebrate the diversity of American Art. In concurrence with the City of Orlando’s $1m 2024-2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge project Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity, the museum presents an exhibition highlights the social practice of artist Juan William Chávez. Chávez's bilingual (English & Spanish) exhibition will focus on his holistic view of ecology, ritual, craft/labor, activism, archaeology of place, and his Peruvian heritage. A 2012 Guggenheim Fellow, Chávez is an artist, activist, educator, and beekeeper of Indigenous Latinx and Irish descent who brings together cultural, community, iconography as located in objects related to community building, the environment, food sovereignty, and decolonization.  JUAN WILLIAM CHAVEZ: ART POLLINATION | Mennello Museum of American Art (OCTOBER 10, 2025 - JANUARY 25, 2026). To learn more visit https://www.mennellomuseum.org.

The Downtown Arts District in Orlando, Florida, is steeped in history, with the iconic Rogers Kiene Building, constructed in 1886, serving as its cornerstone. This historic venue is home to CityArts, a dynamic cultural institution fostering local artistic talent. Over the years, it has played a pivotal role in shaping Orlando's arts scene, providing a platform for diverse artistic expressions, from visual to performing arts. Today, the district continues to thrive as a vibrant hub of creativity and cultural enrichment, celebrating the city's artistic spirit. The mission of the Downtown Arts District is to lead, stimulate and guide the development of a vibrant, innovative arts and cultural district that enhances economic development in Downtown Orlando. To learn more visit https://downtownartsdistrict.com.

FusionFest Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission to celebrate the people and the many different cultures that make Central Florida awesome by showcasing talents, sharing stories, driving innovation and building community based on respect and understanding.

FusionFest organizes weekly and monthly, both virtual and in-person, events that keep the community engaged and connected to the cultural diversity in Central Florida. We participate in parades and create dining experiences and workshops from January to November. Our signature event on Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving Day in Downtown Orlando is a free, two-day, festival that draws people from more than 110 different cultures to experience music, dance, food, visual arts, spoken word, games and interactive activities. FusionFest is a project of the Orange County Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. To learn more visit www.fusionfest.org.

Founded in 2017, Black Bee Honey is a youth entrepreneurship program operated by the Orlando Community and Youth Trust, a non-profit organization. Students from the Parramore and Holden Heights communities in Orlando, Florida are working to turn their communities from food deserts to food oasis. Through nutritious honey they provide their community with access to food with health benefits that also serves as a great substitute to sugar.

In our few years of operation, we’ve had the honor of being guests on the Steve Harvey Show where Steve gifted us with an iGourmet partnership allowing us to have international reach. We’ve also expanded our local footprint through partnerships with Central Florida companies such as Popcorn Junkie, Grand Bohemian, Artisans Table, and Ivanhoe Brewery.  We’ve even had the honor of being recognized with awards such as the MAN UP Mentoring Award and the Eagle Award for Outstanding Community Achievement. To learn more visit https://www.blackbeehoneyhq.com.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida secures and distributes food and grocery products to more than 750 local nonprofit feeding partners throughout Central Florida. Through the help of food and financial donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributes 300,000 meals every day to a seven-county service area. Feeding neighbors facing hunger is only the beginning. By investing in job training programs, advocating for access to nutritious foods, and inspiring our community to get involved, Second Harvest Food Bank is leaning into the root causes of hunger and helping our neighbors thrive.

With the support of our Central Florida community, Second Harvest Food Bank is feeding inspiration, change, achievement, health — and families facing hunger. To learn more visit FeedHopeNow.org.

4Roots is dedicated to unearthing the power of food to build healthy communities. By engaging the community to think more deeply about where and how food is grown, and why it matters, 4Roots aims to restore and maintain the delicate balance between people and planet.

The 4Roots Campus is located in The Packing District, an emerging neighborhood just two short miles from downtown Orlando. The Campus will invite the community to gather and collaborate on solutions to address the broken food system while learning to grow in a diverse range of 9 different growing systems. The Campus will offer unique hands-on learning experiences that highlight innovative sustainable practices and cutting-edge technologies from around the world. Breaking ground in 2021, the Campus is expected to be complete and fully operational in late 2026. To learn more visit https://4rootsfarm.org.

Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Inc. (Hebni) is a community based, non-profit (501 (c)(3)) agency formed in 1995 to educate high-risk, culturally diverse populations about nutrition strategies to prevent diet-related diseases. In their early beginnings, the Partners of Hebni developed intervention programs and educational tools such as the “Soul Food Pyramid” and “Sisters: Take Charge of Your Health” which address populations, who are at high risk for poor health outcomes. Hebni’s programs serve populations who may be at-risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. To learn more visit https://www.hebninutrition.org.

 

Fleet Farming, a non-profit program under IDEAS For Us, redefines urban spaces by transforming underused lawns into biodiverse, sustainable gardens and edible landscapes. This initiative is committed to boosting local food access and nurturing resilient communities through urban agriculture.  Fleet Farming’s mission is Empowering all generations to increase local food accessibility by growing their own food and Vision is Building connected, healthy communities and localized food systems that foster harmony with the environment. Fleet Farming turns residential lawns, school grounds, community centers, and affordable housing spaces into productive edible gardens. Additionally, we offer services to local businesses and individuals through our Community Farming Initiative and Edible Landscapes Garden installations, working collectively to create a sustainable food cycle. To learn more visit https://fleetfarming.org.

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. UF/IFAS Extension Orange County provides education and information to residents and businesses through workshops, publications, and mass media in the areas of family life, youth development, natural resources, horticulture, and agriculture. To Learn more visit https://ifas.ufl.edu/about-us.

Curatorial Selection Committee:

Amy Galpin, Ph.D., Executive Director and Chief Curator, Museum of Art and Design Miami Dade College

Dr. Galpin is Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College.  She was previously Chief Curator of the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University and served as the Curator of Rollins Museum of Art, and the Associate Curator, Art of the Americas, at the San Diego Museum of Art. At both the Frost and at Rollins College, Dr. Galpin curated numerous group and solo exhibitions of contemporary art, including In the Mind’s Eye: Landscapes of Cuba, Displacement: Symbols and Journeys, Cut: Abstraction in the U.S. from the 1970s to the Present, and solo projects with Patrick Martinez, Rafael Soldi, Liu Shiyuan, and Jess T. Dugan, among others. Other exhibitions include Alfredo Ramos Martinez: Picturing Mexico in California at the Pasadena Museum of Art and Translation Revolution: U.S. Artists Interpret Mexica Muralism at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. In 2010, she worked with the Museum of Contemporary San Diego, the Timken Museum of Art, and the San Diego Museum of Art on an exhibition and publication titled Behold, America! Art of the United States from Three San Diego Museums. She specializes in modern and contemporary art of the Americas and has been especially active in studying intersections of the arts of Latin America and the United States.

Joanna Robotham, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Tampa Museum of Art

Joanna Robotham joined the staff of the Tampa Museum of Art as the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art in 2016. She previously held the Neubauer Family Foundation Assistant Curator position at the Jewish Museum in New York City, where she worked for over 10 years. Currently, Joanna is working on a survey exhibition of Japanese-American ceramicist Jun Kaneko in conjunction with the acquisition of one of the artist’s monumental Django sculptures (opening December 2025). She organized the solo exhibitions Suchitra Mattai: Bodies and Souls (2024) and Pepe Mar: Myth and Magic (2023). In June 2020, she organized the exhibition Frank Stella: What You See, an intimate survey of the artist’s printmaking oeuvre. Joanna curated the Fall 2019 exhibition series Ordinary/Extraordinary: Assemblage in Three Acts: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Purvis Young, and Haitian Vodou Flags. Past original curatorial projects at the Tampa Museum of Art include Vapor and Vibration: The Art of Larry Bell and Jesús Rafael Soto (2018), as well as Mernet Larsen: Getting Measured, 1957-2017 (2017), a retrospective of Mernet Larsen’s paintings. She received her M.A. in Curatorial Studies from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and earned a B.A. in Art History and Political Science from the University of Washington.

Azela Santana, Executive Director, Orange County Regional History Center and the Historical Society of Central Florida.

Azela Santana has over 17 years working in the arts and education non-profit sector. Azela earned her BA in Studio Art and Art History from the University of Florida and her master’s in business administration while living overseas in San Quirino, Italy. Prior to her role as Executive Director for the Regional History Center, she was the Director for Advancement at UCF's College of Arts and Humanities, where she oversaw the college’s major gift fundraising and donor and alumni engagement while fostering community relationships and impactful collaborations to drive engagement and philanthropy. In 2022, Azela’s efforts to build relationships and strategic partnerships were recognized with the University’s inaugural UCF Advancement Core Values Excellence and Partnership Award. As Associate Curator at the Orlando Museum of Art, she championed efforts in the development and execution of numerous high-profile, award-winning exhibitions, including The Florida Prize in Contemporary Art. Azela is active in her community and currently serves as Vice Chairman for the City of Orlando Nominating Board. Her professional affiliations include the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Curators, and the Association of Latino Professionals for America. She and her husband have been married for 20 years and have two daughters.

Keri Watson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History and Assistant Director of the School of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Central Florida

Keri Watson is Associate Professor of Art History and Assistant. In addition to publishing numerous articles and book chapters on twentieth-century US art, she has authored four books: Florida’s New Deal Parks and Post Office Murals (History Press, 2024), This Is America: Reviewing the Art of the United States (Oxford University Press, 2023), Visual and Performing Arts Collaborations In Higher Education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), and the Routledge Companion of Art and Disability (2022).