The GrassRoots Project

“Made possible by grassroots funding to celebrate grassroots community
participation with just simply grassroots”

This project was made possible by an award from the East Feast - 2011organized by
the Britannia Community Center. Over the period of 4 months I, in collaboration with
wheatgrass, have sculpted the portrait of 8 persons recognized for their grassroots
contribution to the Eastside community.

I required approximately 3 weeks to grow each portrait. I then, displayed new faces at the
information center, the swimming pool lobby and the senior center in a visible place in
a Plexiglas case where they dried until replaced. I also asked each person their 3 favorite
colors and I used those to create eight mixed media portraits. All the faces, photographs
and paintings were exhibited in a common installation at the Britannia Art Gallery.
The plaster casts were made in the molds I had used to grow the roots in. To continue
with the idea of working within a media over which one has only partial control, such
as the roots, and continue with an organic feel I dripped their favorite colors over their
spinning faces.