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The pandemic changed the trajectory of our field school.
In 2020, we pivoted from our traditional intensive, in-person interaction to a minimal-contact summer. During August 2020, we distributed conversation starter kits to local block leaders selected by our community partners. These kits included fresh produce from local growers and artistically crafted zines that detailed the history of local struggles and solidarities surrounding housing and food justice. Armed with these resources, our community partners reignited civic conversations that had quieted during the pandemic. This experience demonstrated the power of food to foster solidarity and human connection, ultimately transforming what we do at the field school. We shifted our focus from documenting buildings to studying community gardens and garden beds. Our attention moved from homeowners and renters to gardeners, exploring how land nourishes our bodies and souls when we connect with the soil. In Milwaukee’s urban landscape, the sight of vacant land serves as a stark reminder of the unjust and violent economic systems and politics that drive land tenure and ownership. Vacant lots are remnants of destructive global economic forces of mortgage securities, economic greed, and real estate capital. In response, resident gardeners emerge as frontline defenders of land, transforming devalued lots into vibrant gardens brimming with hope, joy, and radical ideas of value. This website is dedicated to the stories of two nearby gardens: the Cherry Street Community Garden in Midtown and the Walnut Hill Community Garden in Walnut Hill. These gardens are nurtured by dedicated community members, whom we refer to as community guardians—a term we borrow from sociologist Patrick Sharkey. Guardians are everyday people—grandmothers, mothers, fathers, and youth—who refuse to accept injustice and are determined to reclaim their world, transforming their communities into safe havens. The gardens featured on this website are located within a quarter-mile radius of each other. Yet, in Milwaukee, a highly segregated city, the gardeners were previously unaware of one another. It was sheer happenstance that the field school engaged with gardeners at each of these sites. However, they share similar histories and experiences, and when they met at an exhibit of our fieldwork, they connected instantly. The gardens have since formed a mutual aid network, with the field school playing a role in maintaining these connections and strengthening the growing bonds of care among them. |
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We thank our funders, The Humanities Action Lab, Wisconsin Humanities, UWM Urban Studies Programs, UWM Cultures & Communities, Vernacular Architecture Forum, UWM Center for 21st C. Studies, UWM Department of History, Milwaukee County Historical Society and the UWM Office of Undergraduate Research. We extend our gratitude to the residents and community members associated with the Cherry Street Community Garden, BloomMKE, Walnut Hill Community Garden, the “Aesthetics Lives Here” art-lot, the Washington Park Art Lot, and Unity Orchard for their invaluable contributions.
