The Cortez Community Artists Cooperative will host an “Art and Agriculture” event at the Sky Art Studio and Gallery on March 17, as a way to raise support for the group’s upcoming garden project.
The cooperative is a new local organization, and its members are looking to purchase the art studio and gallery building at 125 N. Sligo St., along with its surrounding land, and convert the space into the Cortez Community Garden Farm School. The school’s vision is to promote a healthy lifestyle by creating a combined art venue and community garden.
“The pairing of art and agriculture does two things,” said Janice Christensen, co-founder of the new venture. “It makes the garden where food is grown a beautiful place, so it can survive and be protected in the heart of the toughest urban neighborhoods. And it creates a space where people can come together in peace to work, to rest, to do a productive and necessary activity, and to celebrate. It makes a garden sacred, and the food produced there is sacred as well.”
The property the cooperative is looking to purchase covers 1 acre of land and includes a 3,400 square-foot, single-story building known as the Sky Art Studio and Gallery.
The group presented its plan to the city’s planning department on Jan. 24 and has submitted a petition to the city for a conditional use permit, according to the co-op. The group plans to appear before the City Council in April or May for final approval.
The March 17 event is 1-5 p.m., and will involve a series of sessions, focusing on community building and empowerment, art and agriculture and medicine, the proposed garden farm project, and community art and agriculture in Cortez. Music will be provided by Ancient History and Friends, and attendees can partake of a variety of vegan refreshments.
