#deeplyrootedinRoxbury

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Roxbury Sunflowers in Bloom at Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Video by London Parker McWhorter.

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Roxbury Sunflower Project Launch

🌻 It's Official! The Roxbury Sunflower Project season has begun! 🌻

This past weekend, the sparc! team celebrated by helping distribute free sunflower seeds, seedlings, and info. They also led the traditional (and festive!) activities: Roxbury Sunflower Crowns and new this year: corsages!

Our Kid's Kits were a hit, packed with seeds, coloring pages, markers, butterfly/sunflower pens, journals, and stickers.

Special thanks to Speak for the Trees for joining us with stickers, journals, and brochures about their mission to plant and care for trees in Boston.

Thanks to everyone who made this day perfect in Roxbury! 🌻✨

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Roxbury Sunflower Project 2024 Launch

This Saturday, join sparc! at the Roxbury Sunflower Project FREE sunflower seed giveaway and opening event. 

Get free seeds, instructions and demos along with Kid’s Kits for Young Gardeners, art-making with sparc! the ArtMobile, music, and more. 

Grove Hall Library (41 Geneva Avenue) on June 8th, 2024, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.For updates, follow @roxburysunflowerproject_ and visit their blog at www.roxburysunflowerproject.tumblr.com.

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Join us for a special community event in Grove Hall Celebrating Roxbury resilience, radiance and roots. A Family friendly event featuring music, art, food and fun.

Open this link: Eventbrite to RSVP.

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New signage for Roxbury Sunflower Project on the new Grove Hall lot. Thank you to all of our partners and sponsors for this Sunflower Garden honoring community wisdom.

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Announcing the RSP Poetry Contest Winners!!!

Winner 21+up: Candelaria Norma Silva for "Sunflower Cousins"

Winner 13-21: Sara for "My Poem is about Love from the Hart"

12 and under: Winner: Vy Huynh age 7 for “Light”

Congratulations to each of you. Thank you for sharing your inspiring words reflecting the 7 Roxbury Sunflower Project themes.

Poems will be shared here on Tumblr. Stay tuned.

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Roxbury Sunflowers in bloom at the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Video by London Parker McWhorter.

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Last Day for Roxbury Sunflower Project Poetry Contest

Midnight tonite is the deadline for submitting your poetry to the RSP Poetry Contest. Great Prizes, Great Judges. Announcement of winners on Saturday, August 5th at the Roxbury Poetry Festival.

Any genre, any format, express yourself!

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Poets! Writers! Rappers! Submit your original poetry to the Roxbury Sunflower Project Poetry contest! haikus, raps, sonnets - all styles welcome. Reference any Roxbury Sunflower Project Theme: Seeds, Deep Roots, Following the Light, Radiance, Resilience, Beauty and Community. 3 age categories. Great prizes and great judges. Porsha Olayiwola, Poet Laureate, City of Boston, Lisa Lee, Poet, Artist, and Joel Mackall, Teacher, Author and Photographer.

Submissions close July 31 at midnight.

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Roxbury Sunflower Project 2023

The 2023 Season of the Roxbury Sunflower Project is up and running! Thank you to everyone who came out to collect their free Sunflower seeds, Kids Kits and make art with sparc! the ArtMobile. We created sunflower flower crowns and visors, decorated starter pots, and colored “Today’s Garden” with guests of all ages.

The weather was perfect! The indoor/outdoor event at the Grove Hall Public Library attracted visitors from as far away as South Africa. They pledged to plant in solidarity with the Roxbury Sunflower Project’s themes of Planting Seeds, Deep Roots, Follow the Light, Radiance, Resilience, Beauty and Transformation. Everything the world needs more of, embodied in the elegant Sunflower.  Follow the Roxbury Sunflower Project at roxbury sunflower project.tumblr.com.

The Sunflower Welcome Committee, volunteer, Valarie Simms-Mizell!

Smiles All Around

A Jazzy Visor and Crown for a young gardener...

Snazzy Pots

The Sunflower Crown Table is always busy.

Lissa, MassArt Grad ‘22 makes a cool compostable plant pot!

Making flowers for “Today’s Garden” at the Grove Hall Public Library. 

Volunteer, Evelyn Moore and Pamela Mason, two old friends reconnect!

Women of the sunflower: Audrey Lopez, Curator of Public Art, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Ekua Holmes, Founder, Roxbury Sunflower Project and Ceci Mendez, Director, MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships

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Roxbury Sunflower Project 2023

Dear Community! The 2023 Season of the Roxbury Sunflower Project is up and running. Thank you to everyone who came out to collect their free Sunflower seeds, Kids Kits and raffle prizes on Saturday. The weather was perfect! Our indoor/outdoor event at the Grove Hall Public Library attracted visitors from as far away as South Africa. They have pledged to plant in solidarity with our themes of Plant Seeds, Deep Roots, Follow the Light, Radiance, Resilience, Beauty and Transformation. Everything the world needs more of, embodied in the elegant Sunflower.  

The Sunflower Welcome Committee, volunteer, Valarie Simms-Mizell!

New friends and partners from South Africa!

Volunteer, Evelyn Moore and Pamela Mason, two old friends reconnect!

Some people just bring the sunshine in their smiles...

A Jazzy Visor and Crown for a young gardener...

The Sunflower Crown Table is always busy. It was facilitated by students from CACP’s sparc! the ArtMobile. 

Lissa, MassArt Grad ‘22 makes a cool compostable plant pot!

Women of the sunflower: Audrey Lopez, Curator of Public Art, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Ekua Holmes, Founder, Roxbury Sunflower Project and Ceci Mendez, Director, MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships

sparc! the ArtMobile is a retrofitted van fully equipped with art supplies that brings intergenerational art and design experiences to the community - free of charge.  sparc! is an initiative of the Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) at MassArt and collaborates with many community based organizations, schools, artists, and businesses to share resources, and nurture community relationships with an awesome student team. sparc!’s visibility, accessibility and mobility make it a popular part of community events and a vibrant resource for creative interactions and experiences.  MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) partners with people and communities within and beyond MassArt to radically expand access to transformative creative experiences.

Making flowers for “Today’s Garden” at the Grove Hall Public Library. 

Download this sheet and create your own beautiful Sunflower garden. Share with your friends and family. Just add creativity and color! 

Plant your seeds by June 30th and watch them grow. Keep us posted with #roxburysunflowerproject.

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Reclaiming Renaissance

Dear friends, the original dream for the Roxbury Sunflower Project included a field of Sunflowers at the corner of Crawford and Warren Streets. You know the corner. A big empty lot which fills with weeds and trash year after year. We imagined it filled with golden flowers swaying in the breeze, bringing delight to children, radiant light and restful beauty to all. This year we a poised to re-claim that dream and bring our vision to light. Watch the new garden as we plant, nurture, grow thousands of radiant flowers. Photos will be updated weekly. We are a part of the growing renaissance to turn to the earth. To care for her and restore ourselves with her healing bounty and beauty. Get your FREE seeds on Saturday, May 27th from 10:30 - 1:30pm at the Roxbury Sunflower Project launch, Grove Hall Public Library, 41 Geneva Avenue. 

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. —Harriet Tubman

A Dream Team on Love Your Block Day in Roxbury cleaning up the new garden on Love Your Block Roxbury day. All we need is YOU!

Pathways have been widened for better access...

Using existing wood to trim flower beds and enhance design...

and for mulch to protect moisture in the flower beds...

Watch this space for updates!  submitted by Ekua Holmes

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Roxbury Sunflower Project 2022

I hope you’ve been wondering where the Roxbury Sunflower Project has been all summer. It is our fifth year of planting a beautiful idea with sunflower seeds. We begin by giving away over 10,000 seeds to the public. Then we plant mini sunflower landscapes throughout Boston.  Our launch took place at the Grove Hall Public Library on May 14th. It’s where we began back in 2018. Here are some cool photos taken by London Parker-McWhorter and Ekua Holmes.

sparc! the Artmobile and its team helped kick off the season with a seed giveaway, art making station and seedling planting. All ages came out to help plant sunflowers, pick up free seed packets and activity kits and to even create their own crown of flowers.

The newly designed sparc! the ArtMobile Van is right out front. Artists Super Sobek and Apex painted in live in 2021 at a Grove Hall in Color event.

Members of the sparc! team, Hannah, Isabelle, Christina, Ekua, Mei and Jordan. 

Getting crafty with the sparc! team.

The final design. And the winner is...!!!

Super Sobek (Jeremy Harrison) Honors the Roxbury Sunflower Project as only he can. See this mural at 48 Geneva Avenue across from the public library. Do you see anyone you recognize??

Hannah holds down the seed give-away with style and humor.

Friends and Family create works of art and activism...

Roxbury Sunflower Project logistics with Kai Holmes. The grid is everything.

Young gardeners in the making... Plant your seeds today for blossoms tomorrow... Watch us grow in the next update...

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We are 5 years old!!! Join the Roxbury Sunflower Project for this year’s sunflower planting season as we celebrate our community’s RADIANCE, RESILIENCE, DEEP ROOTS, TRANSFORMATION, PLANTED SEEDS, LIGHT, AND BEAUTY. May 14th from 10:30am - 1:30 pm pick up your FREE Sunflower seeds at the Grove Hall Public Library with simple instructions, sunshine and rain, join the community wide garden! We’ll have 50 Kid’s Kits on hand for young planters 12 and under, first come, first serve. This event is supported by MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships through sparc! the ArtMobile, igniting art and design in the neighborhood.  Please share with your networks!

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We are 5 years old!!! Join the Roxbury Sunflower Project for this year’s sunflower planting season as we celebrate our community’s RADIANCE, RESILIENCE, DEEP ROOTS, TRANSFORMATION, PLANTED SEEDS, LIGHT, AND BEAUTY. May 14th from 10:30am - 1:30 pm pick up your FREE Sunflower seeds at the Grove Hall Public Library with simple instructions, sunshine and rain, join the community wide garden! We’ll have 50 Kid’s Kits on hand for young planters 12 and under, first come, first serve. This event is supported by MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships through sparc! the ArtMobile, igniting art and design in the neighborhood.  Please share with your networks!

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Hello, I'm very interested in learning more about your project. I've been teaching gardening during our summer programs at UMass Boston with BPS students. I saw the program on MFA is this open to adults or just students?

Hi! Im sorry I missed your post and question. I hope you'll join us on Saturday, May 14th for free seeds and fun.