Cultivar April 14, 2012

¬Contact: Amy Cancelmo
415.863.7668
events@rootdivision.org
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

ROOT DIVISION PRESENTS: Second Saturday April 2012

TASTE 2012 Exhibition: Cultivar
Curated by Bill Basquin & Amy Cancelmo
Second Saturday Reception: Saturday, April 14, 7-10 pm

A cultivar is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable characteristics that can be maintained by propagation. The exhibition for TASTE 2012, Cultivar, is a multi-disciplinary project that celebrates artists and collectives whose work blurs lines between environmental sustainability, food production, social practice, and fine art.

The homestead movement, slow food movement, community agriculture initiatives, and greening of urban centers have changed the way urban dwellers experience and understand their connections with farmers, food and the land. In presenting paradigm-shifting ecological and agricultural practices as socially driven artistic interventions, the artists featured in this project challenge distinctions between art and life, suggesting that artists might continue to inspire trends towards urban agricultural evolution and environmental sustainability.

In acknowledgement of the crossing of lines between social practice and “fine” art, Cultivar is presented in three distinct, but non-hierarchical formats: a month long visual art exhibition; performative and interactive food related installations at the opening reception; and an accompanying catalogue with additional contributors. It is the curators’ hope that by bringing together these projects, Cultivar will propagate continued interest in social change through art and food.

Project Contributors:
Tamara Albaitis
Finn Cunningham
Food Adventure Club (Beth Pickens)
Joolie Geldner
Johunna Grayson & Greta Snider
Patricia Hewett
Karrie Hovey
Monica Martinez
Daniel McCormick
Max Miller
Laura Parker
Leah Rosenberg
Annie Sprinkle & Elizabeth Stephens
Melinda Stone
Temescal Amity Works (Susanne Cockrell & Ted Purves)
Thought for Food (Lisa Mishima, Yvonne Mouser, Randall Stowell)
Elia Vargas
Dawn Weleski

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 14, 2012 7-10 pm
Featuring onsite interactive art installations and demonstrations
Music by DJ Brown Amy of Hard French
Exhibition Dates: April 11-28, 2012
Gallery Hours: Wednesday- Saturday, 2–6 pm (or by appointment)
ROOT DIVISION
3175 17th Street (between South Van Ness & Shotwell)
San Francisco, CA 94110
www.rootdivision.org
415.863.7668

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ABOUT ROOT DIVISION:
Root Division is an arts & arts education non-profit located in the Mission District of San Francisco. Root Division's mission is to improve appreciation and access to the visual arts by connecting personal inspiration and community participation. We provide subsidized studio space to working artists in exchange for their service in creating shared learning opportunities for the community. Artists develop creatively and professionally by teaching art to underserved youth, leading adult education classes, and producing exhibitions that showcase local emerging artwork. By combining multiple opportunities for creative exchange, Root Division cultivates an artistic ecosystem that enriches life throughout the Bay Area.

Root Division is supported in part by grants from the The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; National Endowment for the Arts; Grants for the Arts: San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund; Voluntary Arts Contribution Fund; Zellerbach Family Foundation, W A Gerbode Foundation, Bill Graham Memorial Fund, Art4Moore, and Fleishhacker Foundation.

For further information regarding events and/or press materials, please do not hesitate to contact Amy Cancelmo at 415.863.7668 or events@rootdivision.org