Mission Greenbelt Project

phase 1

The Mission Greenbelt Project was first exhibited in September of 2007, as part of Hidden Histories, a group exhibition curated by Joshua Short for CELLspace. Following this exhibition, the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery allowed me the opportunity to transform the gallery into Mission Greenbelt Campaign Headquarters.

During November and December of 2007, with funding, administrative support and space provided by the SFAC Gallery, I mounted Mission Greenbelt Campaign Headquarters, a public awareness campaign about the Mission Greenbelt project, sidewalk gardening and the Sidewalk Landscaping Permit process. A Sidewalk Landscaping Permit is required by the city of San Francisco in order for landowners to build sidewalk gardens. Campaign Headquarters was also equipped with a new body of artwork, which included a five-part, photo collage illustration about building sidewalk gardens, a jigsaw puzzle aerial map of the proposed Greenbelt route as well as a photo/audio tour and installation about San Francisco’s ecology.

Events at Campaign Headquarters included a Campaign Kick-off with Special Guest Speakers, a Sidewalk Landscaping & Permitting Workshop and a volunteer workday, during which, we installed a native plant demonstration garden at Civic Center in front of Campaign Headquarters. Every Saturday in December there were tours of the proposed Mission Greenbelt. Tours included a Youth Bus Tour & Planting Day, a Sidewalk Chalk Planning Tour, a Bicycle Tour of the Proposed Mission Greenbelt and a Mission Greenbelt Soundscape Tour. These tours gave us an opportunity to investigate and experience the proposed Mission Greenbelt route. During some of the tours, we also put up street posters, and we talked with people about the project. I also worked with the San Francisco Arts Commission Arts & Education Program to develop a How to Build a Sidewalk Garden lesson plan, which I presented to Mission District school groups.

Mission Greenbelt Campaign Headquarters was made possible by partnerships with San Francisco government agencies, colleagues in the arts and sciences, activists and volunteers.

phase 2

The first Mission Greenbelt garden was planted in May 2008 at Mission Playground Pool (19th & Linda).

Thereafter, I worked in collaboration with Lauri Twitchell and Deepa Preeti Natarajan to design the first of a number of simple-to-plan and install sidewalk gardens; the first of which is a native plant garden for attracting birds. The Mission Greenbelt Project planted its first sidewalk 'GARDEN FOR THE BIRDS' / 'JARDIN PARA LOS PAJARITOS' in January 2009 at the corner of 22nd & Shotwell. This garden is the result of a collaboration with Gautam Tejas Ganeshan, the founder of Sangati Center, a venue for Indian Classical Music and neighbors: Andrew McCluskey, Daniel Geer, Raul Leon & David Zaniba, Dara Barnett, Erin O’Brien & Lidia Larin-Baranda of Cesar Chavez Elementary School.

For more information email: amber@art-eco.org
or call and leave a message at 415-786-4957