Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy Commissions
FUTUREFARMERS for the City’s First-Ever Temporary Public Art Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Philadelphia – The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) is pleased to announce the commissioning of a new temporary public art project by the artist group, Futurefarmers. This exciting new commission is the result of the OACCE’s plan to support an artist-driven project that reflects Mayor Michael Nutter’s Greenworks initiatives by addressing issues of sustainability specific to the urban environment. Implementation of Futurefarmers’ project will coincide with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Conference scheduled to take place in Philadelphia April 3-5, 2011.

Futurefarmers, founded in 1995 by Amy Franceschini, is a collective of artists and designers based in San Francisco, California. Their work explores a myriad of social and environmental issues by encouraging participation and interaction. Futurefarmers’ playful and accessible projects provide platforms for local communities to examine issues central to their lives. "We are thrilled to work with Futurefarmers, and such partners as the EPA and the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, bringing Philadelphia this important temporary public art project that demonstrates how the arts and artists can be a critical component in how we address our sustainability challenges." -Gary Steuer, Chief Cultural Officer
Futurefarmers’ commissioned project for Philadelphia is called Soil Kitchen. Soil Kitchen will incorporate community involvement, naturally generated energy, local foods, food exchange, the creative reuse of a brownfield site, and brownfield mapping. This new site-specific public artwork will provide a stage for community interaction, dialogue, and education on topics of sustainability that impact every Philadelphian. The work will depend on the thoughts and actions of the people who engage with it. According to Amy Franceschini, “Soil Kitchen will provide sustenance, re-establish the value of natural resources through a trade economy, and inform people of possible hazards in their environment.” From a short-list of artists working in the field, Futurefarmers was chosen by an independent selection panel of artists, administrators and curators, as well as City officials. Superflex, an artist collective from Denmark, and Wowhaus, an artist team from California, also submitted proposals.
This project has been made possible through a generous grant from the William Penn Foundation.
Follow the project at: www.soilkitchen.org