In this past week of my fellowship, I was really able to make headway on one of my biggest projects – Market Days. Market Days will be just one component of the upcoming Hungry Planet exhibition here at Franklin Park Conservatory, and will focus on spreading awareness about the importance of supporting locally grown food. In a day and age where most edible products are readily available at the closest chain grocer, we don’t often consider where these products come from or how they are made. Megafarms and chain grocery stores have a tendency to mow over the old mom-and-pop producers, and the quality that goes with them. Market Days will be the Conservatory’s version of a farmer’s market, and will take place on three separate dates in August, September, and October. During the next few weeks, I will be responsible for locating and recruiting local growers to promote their products here at the Conservatory. Although it seems like a simple enough task, I have begun to visualize many of the challenges that may come up in the process. Making a positive first impression is something that comes with no do-overs, and should be approached with caution; in order to make the best first impression I can, I must familiarize myself with the goals of my project, and the goals of the local growers. I would consider myself somewhat of a stranger to local growing, and this will no doubt pose a challenge in the process of developing Market Days. By visiting various farmer’s markets in the next couple of weeks and connecting with the vendors on a personal level, I hope to develop a greater understanding of what local growing is, what it represents, and how it benefits the community as a whole. If I am asking people to dedicate their time and resources to my cause, I must be willing to dedicate the same amount of time and resources to their cause. I have a feeling that this week become not only an organizational journey, but also a personal one.

As a whole, the Hungry Planet exhibition will focus on the food people eat from a global perspective, and aims to educate people on the vast cultural differences that exist in this realm. Photographs taken from the national best-selling book by Peter Mentzek and Faith D’Alusio, entitled Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, will be at the center of the exhibition. Although Market Days is only one of several different special events that will be taking place during this exhibition, it is exciting to think that I will be the person responsible for its construction. Since Market Days will take place outdoors in the community garden campus,  it will be open to both Conservatory visitors and the general public.

I am really looking forward to the progress I hope to make this week, and hope to have some exciting updates for everyone next week!

Best,

Susan Snyder, Franklin Park Conservatory