“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.” I love this quote by May Sarton. When we slow things down, we make better decisions. The first year of the pandemic gave me the space, grace, and patience to allow things to unfold and trust everything will work out exactly as it is supposed to. It is part of the flow, uninhibited by my attachment to the outcome, and indifferent to any push by me for a specific result.
The first project I installed at the Berkeley Art Museum, in the fall of 1999, included planters by Tobias Rehberger on the museum terraces, titled Sunny Side Up (1999). People could lounge in circular grass areas and enjoy the food growing around them—curated by the artist to taste good together—including strawberries, mint, melons, and peppers. The project, like life, had a cyclical nature and transitioned from an idea to abundance to a fade from grace.
