Complementing the exhibitions The Edible Monument: The Art of Food for Festivals at the Getty Research Institute and Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Food in the Middle Ages and Renaissance at the Getty Museum, the Getty’s garden aims to bring together a wide variety of creative voices to tell the fascinating history of art and food.
In conjunction with the harvesting of the garden, artist and writer Julia Sherman, creator of the popular blog Salad for President, will invite a range of artists and creative guests to join her in making salads, demonstrating that the simple act of making a meal together can be a catalyst for fascinating conversations and a fruitful exchange.
These conversations will be published on her blog, an evolving artistic project that draws a meaningful connection between art and everyday life. “While we cook and eat together, we engage in a conversation that explores the artist’s creative work and the many interests outside his or her professional practice that inform the work,” said Sherman.
Among her guests are architect Harry Gesner, visual and performing artist Emily Mast; and artist Larry Bell. Join the conversation, at Salad for President. The Getty Salad Garden project will continue through December 18th, 2015.
In addition to the blog posts that chronicle the conversations—and the resulting salads—the Getty Salad Garden will serve as the scene for student workshops, public hours; where the public will be able to visit the garden on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12:00pm to 1:00pm and small gatherings.
To create the garden, located along the lawn next to the Getty Center’s Central Garden, Sherman collaborated with urban gardeners Farmscape Gardens, and art-historian-turned-landscape-architect David Godshall of Terremoto Landscape. Together they designed a garden, which thoughtfully responds to the Getty Center’s architecture and landscape, and utilizes rare seeds, including 19th-century varietals, that help preserve agricultural and culinary heritage. The garden will be drip-irrigated, using dramatically less water than a lawn requires.
The Getty Salad Garden is part of the Getty Museum’s ongoing program of engaging contemporary artists with various aspects of the Museum’s collections, exhibitions, and education programs. Recent installations include artist Barbara Kruger’s work with high school students in a project called “Whose Values?” and artist Elana Mann in a sonic engagement at the Getty Villa.
“The Getty is committed to exploring new and exciting connections between education and contemporary art practice. Collaborations with contemporary artists, such as this, create new platforms for interpretation and engagement that can ultimately transform the practice of museums and artists alike,” said Cathy Carpenter, education specialist for artist-based programs.
Read how Sherman’s obsession with salad sparked a journey to discover what it is to be an artist. Watch for social media updates on the Getty Salad Garden website.
The Getty Salad Garden is a project of the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Education Department and is made possible through the generosity of Anawalt Lumber, Bragg Live Food Products, and Kellogg Garden Products.