About
Project Grow is dedicated to enriching the lives of adults with developmental disabilities through art, farming, music, and yoga by creating community awareness about the value of arts, relationship with one’s food source, and promoting integration.
OUR VISION IS A SPACE WHERE
Artists and farmers with disabilities will be able to communicate meaningfully with the community through their offer of artistic gifts and mastery of chemical-free farming techniques while receiving recognition and compensation.
WE BELIEVE THAT
- Meaningful work accompanied by fair wage is a human right.
- All people have gifts to contribute to the community.
- Everyone deserves a supportive environment, regardless of one’s challenges.
- A sense of purpose, offered by a valued activity, is essential for all.
- Art making is both a valid path in life and a valid career choice.
- Everyone is unique and deserves a tailored, supportive environment so that they may thrive.
- Everyone is an artist, student, and a teacher.
- The relationship with one’s food source is essential for a healthy life.
- Learning is a life long task and privilege.
OUR GOALS ARE TO
Project Grow is a progressive program for adults with developmental disabilities that aims to:
- Advocate for the rights of adults with developmental disabilities.
- Establish careers in farming and the arts where there previously was no opportunity for fairly compensated labor.
- Allow adults with disabilities to experience self-satisfaction and growth through farming and artistic expression.
- Share the gifts of the adults in the program with the community.
- Move away from a culture of segregation to one of integration and appreciation.
- Assist adults with developmental disabilities in exploring their passions and experiencing growth by providing a supportive environment.
- Embrace the unique gifts and challenges that each individual possesses.
- Share the art work and harvested produce with the community and fairly compensate the artists and farmers involved.
- Collaborate with other artists, fostering meaningful connections within the art community.
HISTORY
Natasha Wheat, an internationally exhibiting interdisciplinary, socially engaged artist, proposed Project Grow to Port City Developmental Center, a vocational day program in Portland, Oregon, in January of 2009. Project Grow was founded on the principle that adults with developmental disabilities deserve the right to create and share meaningful art, establish a closer relationship with their food source, and lead a physically healthier life. Natasha recruited Tim Donovan and James Ragsdale, to develop the farm, Emese Ilyes and Amanda Milholland, to provide a supportive artistic environment for the participants and advance the curriculum, and Sandy Sampson, to curate exhibitions and inspire individual one on one projects.
Within nine months, Project Grow saw the launch of a micro-CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from its thriving farm, had several gallery exhibitions, practiced yoga weekly with a private instructor, experienced 28 inspiring field trips, and had the privilege of working with 67 dedicated volunteers. The artists and farmers of the program have earned paychecks from art sold, lessons taught, and as recognition of their efforts and contribution to the farm.
As an innovative and progressive program, Project Grow continues to lead a dynamic existence. Today, the North Portland Farm established by Project Grow has plans to develop satellite locations in order to accommodate the demand and offer fair wage to more farmers. The artists who coordinate the programs offered by Project Grow are developing unique ways to continue the successful collaborations between the Project Grow artists and the community at large.