A Year of Design
"Instead of sustainability, we should think in terms of perpetuity: a mode of life that is intrinsically self-sustaining.
This is what it means to Think Forever.
Designing for perpetuity requires us to reexamine the deep, underlying structures that support us."
-Bruce Mau
Craigardan inhabits a space of process. We design for movement and change. We aim to discover what emerges from the intersections of art and agriculture, science and craft, food and literature. We are responsive as much as generative. We Think Forever.
2020 surfaced a collective turbulence. It brought incalculable loss and rightful unrest alongside strength, learning and fellowship—with flashpoint following flashpoint. At Craigardan, this was also a year of deep thinking, an introspective pause incongruously and inexorably tied to perpetual activity as we reexamined those deep underlying structures that support us. What does it mean to foster creativity during transition? How do we build community in a period of isolation? What is the value of the arts in a time of crisis? What is the role of food and agriculture toward the creation of an equitable society? How do we best help individuals by serving our mission to encourage the human imagination to interpret the world with philosophical, ecological and artistic perspective?
Turbulence has propelled us forward into new ways of thinking deliberately; into actively designing a better world from the inside out. 2020 has been an enterprising year. As we drafted our new campus, we continually assessed our equity practices and programmatic opportunities. As we planned our new farm, we began the process for decolonizing this land we steward. As we opened our new farm store, we partnered with local leaders to continue to build and strengthen the regional food system. As we developed our new 5-year strategic plan, we sponsored trainings with the Racial Equity Institute. And to underscore the vital role of arts and culture during times of crisis, we launched a new publication to serve as a community connector and mode of support.
As 2020 comes to a close, we acknowledge that our work is only beginning. This was a year of design and initiation. This was a year of forming and strengthening creative partnerships and investing in the future of Craigardan's new campus and growing community. We answered the questions of 2020 by embracing the challenges, responding with creativity, and building for a better future.
2020 SNAPSHOT
Making the Impossible Possible
For a place-based residency program that supports interdisciplinary creativity, isolation and social distancing is a challenge.
The Gardan journal was launched in June as an offering to our community in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with the intention to carry us forward and onward long after.
By continuing to build and lean on creative community even during times of isolation and social strain, together we will become stronger and more imaginative than ever before.
The Gardan is intended to foster conversations about creativity and its processes among and across all disciplines. We seek contributions from artists and thinkers, activists and farmers, environmentalists and chefs, and any persons at any and all stages of creative development.
Each issue draws its structure from the weekly happenings of a residency session at Craigardan, delivering a small piece of our program — along with inspiration and ongoing support — to encourage you to self residency wherever you are.
Available in digital and print formats, The Gardan is an arts incubator and community developer delivered through the mail; it collaboratively manifests a place to gather when we are unable to physically come together. Most importantly, The Gardan helps artists generate exposure at a time of widespread struggle and acts as a vital, enduring beacon for our region’s creative economy and the energy of artistic and social practice worldwide.
We’re Open
Our new farm store is open! Thanks to generous donations from the Cloudsplitter Foundation, JM McDonald Foundation, and the Stewart’s/Dake Family, we are able to launch new initiatives that will:
return 100% of the proceeds of local food sales back to the farmers themselves
allow you to trade compost for organic eggs
create a fully accessible space that remains a convenient and reliable site to source fresh, healthy food year-round
support individuals experiencing food insecurity
provide our community friends and neighbors with the tools and confidence to grow their own food
Farming teaches us that nature moves forward. This year on the farm was no different. Our spring Tunis lambs arrived healthy and the herd is growing; we welcomed Jean-Michel, the rooster, to our flock of laying hens; our bee colonies foraged and pollinated; and Aesop, the kitten, is on active mouse patrol.
We continue to build, fix, fence, and design for perpetuity. And now, we can finally welcome you through our doors and into our work-in-progress. Come find us Monday through Saturday, 9am - 6pm. You'll also find fresh, local food, pantry staples, books and supplies, pottery, handmade items and artwork. This space is open for you, so let us know what you want in your new store!