Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity
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In October 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the City of Orlando is one of eight recipients nationwide to be awarded a one-million-dollar grant as part of its Public Art Challenge to support temporary public art projects that address important local civic issues across the country. Orlando will utilize this funding to implement its art installation project entitled, “Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity,” as a way to engage artists and farmers to raise awareness about how to access healthy food and reduce food insecurity.
Public art installations and community engagement projects will explore the complex social and ecological relationships at the intersection of art and food. The project integrates artists, cultural workers, farmers, and residents with diverse identities. “Art Pollination” is a collaborative public art project in partnership with various local non-profits including, Black Bee Honey, 4Roots, Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Ideas for Us-Fleet Farming, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Orange County (UF/IFAS). The grant will further support local artists’ initiatives and programs such as the Downtown Arts District, FusionFest and Snap! Orlando. As part of the project, the city will work with nationally renowned artist Juan William Chávez and feature several specialized areas, including food cultivation, beekeeping and pollinator education, food waste exploration, Augmented Reality (AR) activations and more.
“Art Pollination” will activate several downtown Orlando sites and neighborhoods along the urban core extending North and South approximately three miles and East and West approximately two miles. The project locations reflect significant public access to diverse multicultural neighborhoods and communities. Project happenings will be announced throughout the grant period, and will take place through December 2025.
Project Goals and Outcomes
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.
Artists
- Nationally renowned artist Juan William Chávez serves as lead artist.
- A second artist will be announced Fall 2024 artist.callforentry.org/
- Artists from Orlando, Florida and across the US are encouraged to apply.
Project Collaborators
- 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.