artist talk, exhibition, workshop

August Exhibition: SEED BOMB

80th Anniversary of the USA-JAPAN Atomic Bombings. Sowing seeds for the future, to regenerate our polluted Earth.

Nuclear Disaster, Yasuyo Tanaka

Exhibition Dates: Friday, August 1 – Sunday, August 31

Gallery Hours: Friday 5:30 to 7:30pm and Saturday & Sunday 12:00 – 5:00 pm

Curated by Yasuyo Tanaka

Featured Artists: Blanka Amezkua, Michele Brody, Noreen Dean Dresser, Garry Grant, Laura King, Eiko Nishida, Nazanin Noroozi, Tomo Mori, Nancy Paredes, TAFA, Yasuyo Tanaka, Tammy Wofsey

Special Collaborator:

“A Seed Bomb Story” a film by Brotherhood Sister Sol students

 

Nancy Paredes, Bay to the Forest

This exhibition features artists who explore the themes of war and peace, and provides an opportunity to reflect, through their art, on the common future we all desire, beyond our differences.

Events:

  • Youth Programing by Brotherhood Sister Sol: Friday, August 1, 3–5 pm
  • Opening Reception: Friday, August 1, 6–8 pm (RSVP)
  • Artist Talk 1: Wednesday,  August 6, 6-8pm
    Artists discussion about their exhibiting artworks and a short presentation on the 80th anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
    Nancy Paredes, Tomo Mori, Eiko Nishida, Noreen Dean Dresser, Yasuyo Tanaka
  • Artist Talk 2:  Wednesday, August 13, 6-8pm
    Artists discussion about their exhibiting artworks and a short presentation on New York City, the birthplace of the Manhattan Project.
    TAFA, Tammy Wofsey, Blanka Amezkua, Michele Brody, Laura King, Yasuyo Tanaka
  • Japanese Paper Dyeing (Shibori) Workshop by Yasuyo Tanaka: Saturday, August 23, 1-3pm. $7 or pay-what-you-can (RSVP)

    >> Also visit SEED BOMB projects at Manhattanville Community Center

Robeson’s Garden Sowing Unity in a Nuclear World, Garry Grant
Hosta Hot House, Michele Brody

 

SEED BOMB is a transformative project that sows seeds for a peaceful future by learning, expressing, and communicating the history of wars. It takes place in New York City, where the Manhattan Project began developing the atomic bomb. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, exhibitions and events related to war and peace are being held near Manhattan Project historic sites. The SEED BOMB project provides opportunities to reflect together on the future we desire.

The title SEED BOMB was inspired by Felix Delacruz, a student who created an artwork about the end of World War II, after participating in “Under This Sky: Manhattan Project,” a history of the atomic bomb. He later named the seed bombs he made in his organic farming classes “Little Boy” and “Fat Man,” code names for the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The greenery that sprouts on the atomic bomb site’s barren land (where no grass or trees were expected to grow for 70 years), brings hope for reconstruction.

Masanobu Fukuoka (February 2, 1913 – August 16, 2008), a Japanese farmer and philosopher, introduced his ideas about seed bombs into natural farming. Those ideas spread worldwide and contributed to the greening of deserts. Fukuoka’s “Seed Bombs” were made from clay soil, various seeds, medicinal herbs (to deter birds and insects), and water. When these bombs are sown, the seeds grow naturally in the right environment and at the appropriate time. The coexistence of multiple species helps each one thrive naturally, without chemical fertilizers.

The government of the United States of America, a nation of indigenous peoples and immigrants, has been involved in many wars in countries that are the homelands of its own citizens. These wars are devastating the environment and creating refugees who suffer the effects of endless battles. The Manhattan Project was a creative collaboration by the military-industrial-academic complex that brought together the “wisdom” of the world.

Indigenous people have deep respect for nature and all life. The ancient teachings of the indigenous Diné (Navajo) people passed down the importance of preserving nature as it is, including the “yellow dirt” (uranium) that is a raw material for nuclear bombs and power plants. By not following Diné’s lessons, our environment continues to deteriorate through the spread of invisible radioactive contamination.

80 years have passed since the birth of the atomic bomb, and tensions between nations are increasing. Instead of developing weapons that exterminate nature, including people, it’s crucial that each of us use the collective wisdom of humanity to achieve peace and harmony with nature.  Our SEED BOMB project creates interactive spaces for people to come together through art, listen to each other, overcome differences, connect through our common goals, and plant seeds for the future we strive for.

TBE5.2: From the series This Bitter Earth, Beirut 200804 #1,
Nazanin Noroozi

 

Honey Bee Hero, Tammy Wofsey
Burned Harvest Fields We flew c22 Absent Winged Collaborators, Noreen Dean Dresser

SEED BOMB exhibition is supported by:

Programs at the Children’s Art Carnival is made possible with funding from the Harlem Community Development Corporation, the New York State Council on the Arts, West Harlem Development Corporation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, and through contributions from West Harlem community members.

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