Fruit Tree Giveaway This Weekend

February 5, 2010

copyright Fallen Fruit

Editor's note: On  Saturday, the fruit tree giveaway will be held at Watts Towers Art Center, starting at noon. On Sunday, the event will be held at LACMA, starting at noon. Please plan to arrive early as the quantity is limited. More event information.

For the past six months, I’ve been working closely with local artist collective Fallen Fruit on plans for EATLACMA--artist designed gardens throughout the museum’s campus; an exhibition that invites public participation and draws from LACMA’s collection; and Let Them Eat LACMA, a one-day final event with more than fifty artists and collectives to activate, intervene, and re-imagine the entire museum's campus and galleries.

Our first EATLACMA event will be this weekend’s public fruit tree adoptions held at LACMA’s campus and Watts Towers Arts Center and Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center. Fallen Fruit encourages the public to “plant the perimeter”—plant fruit trees in public space or on the perimeter of private property—so that generations to come will enjoy public fruit.

On Saturday and Sunday, Fallen Fruit will hand out 150 trees each day along with planting instructions and ideas for transforming your neighborhood with the simple act of planting one tree. Fruit tree adoptions begin at 12 pm and quantities are limited so come early! (You can check out a video about the project at FallenFruit.org.)

P.S.—We’d love your help! EATLACMA is in the running for a $250,000 Pepsi Refresh Everything grant and your votes could help us win! The grant would allow us to expand our public programs and on-site garden projects, and would especially benefit the one-day Let Them Eat LACMA event, allowing us to fund more artists' projects. You can vote at refresheverything.com/EATLACMA once a day until voting ends on February 28. Thanks!

Michele Urton, Assistant Curator, Contemporary Art

Tree distribution at LACMA is sponsored by Paramount Citrus, the world's largest grower of California Cuties, and tree distribution at Watts Towers Arts Center and Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center is sponsored by TreePeople and Paramount Citrus.