Pop up poster show - Day 2

The first seasonal (Fall) show of Lexicon of Sustainability posters ended and quietly disappeared, leaving no physical trace of its presence. No trash. No damage. A simple end.

However it did leave some things behind. It left an energy behind to continue lots of conversations with new connections. And it left other people with next steps for projects in their backyards that promote local, sustainable food. And too, it sparked ideas for how people could work together to get more done collaboratively than they could alone, all without reinventing wheels. The two-day show was a start. It's up to everyone to keep the momentum going.

Watch the Art of Sustainability Facebook page for information on where you can see more posters at the Winter Pop Up Show.

Pop up poster show - Day 1

One of the posters from the show November 2 -3, 2013 in Three Oaks. More information here.

Yesterday was the first day of the Lexicon of Sustainability pop up poster show in Three Oaks. The weather - sadly - didn't cooperate. It was mostly drizzly and got colder over the day. Overcast, dull and gray. Yet there were some hardy folks who came out to see the show and talk to those of us who were there. And in the venues, Edington Gallery and Pleasant House, chance patrons who knew nothing about the show saw it, engaged with it and perhaps one of the hosts. And so it starts.

Then a few of us stayed to continue the conversation around the Viking Table at Journeyman. 

Today, we start again. It's sunny and promises to be warmer for the show's second day. Fingers crossed for a bigger crowd and more conversations. The topic is important. Although the show had no specific outcome in mind other than focusing attention on the importance of our local food system and the meaning of sustainability, that itself is a big goal.

Today at 6pm the show disappears (although the issues it raises don't.) But mark your calendar for the next pop up show - January 18 and 19 at Journeyman - and more terms from the Lexicon of Sustainability. In the meantime, you can contribute to the conversation at the Art of Sustainability Facebook page (link is above under the image...)

Pop Up Poster Show

Words and images - address the meaning of sustainability in relation to our food system.

Early last summer I learned of a national project - The Lexicon of Sustainability - which was an effort to focus on local food systems and the meaning of terms that get thrown around referring to "sustainability" and all its nuances. After seeing images on their website, then a subset of them in person in Goshen, IN, I decided that I wanted to do a show here in Southwest Michigan.

Michigan is an agricultural powerhouse, yet we, like most areas, import most of the food we eat. That makes no sense to me. Oh I understand that we are at a point where we also probably can't support our population without some level of imports (imports meaning "originating outside the state") but I do believe we can do better at sustaining ourselves with what we have nearby. Our food system has over the years morphed into something that I want to change. I believe it's time to chip away at it in a mindful way. And I believe that it is everyone's responsibility. Everybody eats.

So when the opportunity presented itself to bring posters dealing with sustainability and the food system to my little part of the world, how could I not?

Information on the show is here. I hope you will stop by and join the conversation.