Legacy Gardener Film Project Premiere & Discussion on Wednesday, May 22

How to Keep it Going: Sowing Seeds for Gardens of Tomorrow

Join us for a special screening of the CCGA Legacy Gardener Film Project and panel discussion on May 22, from 5-8 pm in the Jensen Room of the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Register HERE.

Through the Legacy Gardener Project, the Chicago Community Gardeners Association captures the rich and living histories of outstanding community gardeners who have tirelessly provided guidance to many while helping community members build relationships with each other and the land. Their own journeys from rural farms to Chicago’s sidewalks and blocks are the stories we cherish. As their habits have become traditions, their traditions have become their legacies.

You are also encouraged to visit the exhibit “Meeting History: A Garfield Park Citizen Archive” on display in the Community Room until June 21. This project visualizes the history of Garfield Park through a citizen archive built in collaboration with residents. The resulting archive invites you to learn more about the Garfield Park neighborhood through the photographs and stories of those who spent their time there.

To build a legacy is to plant seeds in a garden that will bloom far beyond our years. To build a legacy is to tend and to nourish our communities by preparing them for seasons beyond what we’ll sow. We invite you to be rooted, literally and physically in your communities, by meeting some of our living legacies and learning their stories.

At 6pm, we’ll screen all three Legacy Gardener short films. First, you’ll meet Ms. Erma Purnell of New Horizon’s Garden and Ms. Doretha Penn of Crystal’s Peace Garden. Then we’ll share our newest film highlighting Juline McClinton of Peace in the Valley, just one of five gardens she’s tended. Together, these three short films capture a tapestry of wisdom and rich history that inspires us in our own community gardens and lives. Following the screenings, we’ll hear from those who have known our legacy gardeners in a moderated conversation, “How They Kept It Going.”

Light refreshments will be provided.

The Legacy Gardener Film Project is the work of CCGA’s Education Committee, who greatly appreciates the energy that the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance planning team has given to the project over the last couple of months.

In 2024, our goal is to learn about and record the personal histories of more of our senior garden leaders. Learn more and support the Legacy Gardener Film Project here.