Youth Farm’s West Side greenhouse was changed for the better this past school year and it is easy to see how as soon as you step inside. Quietly demanding your attention with the sounds of a mountain stream is one of the most unique contraptions you’ll ever see. Nearly everyone who views it immediately asks “what is that?” Completely custom and designed to do one thing, Laura, Artemis, and Teréz have increased Youth Farm’s ability to grow food throughout the year with their “productive” art. Made of mundane materials like aluminum conduit and silicone caulk, and curios materials like mahogany and bamboo, the hydroponic system trickles away while growing beautiful heads of lettuce.
Starting with an email back in June of 2013 Crescent Collective was thoughtful and patient as we met over the next 9 months on a project we were calling “Grow Up”. Crescent Collective listened, perfected, and improved their designs until build day in December. Here are the three of them starting to assemble.
Teréz, Artemis, and Laura
From January through May youth farmers, LEAD interns, and myself regularly harvested head lettuce to send home with youth and to supply our cooking classes. We also started using the second system specifically designed to grow tomatoes, it is exceptionally efficient because it allows us to utilize space in our greenhouse during the hot summer months when most plants would simply whither.
As you can see from the photos, a lot of time, thought, and effort went into the design and creation of “Grow-Up”. So please add to the comments as Youth Farm says Thank You to Artemis, Teréz, and Laura.
Artemis, Teréz, and Laura