Take a Tour of Paradise

Paradise_Farms_2_0On June 15, you can join The Wolfsonian for a trip to Paradise Farms Organic in Homestead, which includes a tour of the farm along with a vegetarian lunch made with farm-grown produce. The tour is held in conjunction with the exhibition Modern Meals: Remaking American Foods from Farm to Kitchen. While the exhibition considers the rise of mass production and mass distribution in the food industry, the trip to the farm is representative of the growing backlash against the industrialization of food.

 

“There’s a wonderful trend now of people taking responsibility and caring about where their food comes from and how it’s grown. Ultimately, many people are deciding they want to grow their own food,” says Gabriele Marewski, the owner of Paradise Farms. The farm, established by Marewski in 1999, is a certified organic, vegetarian, showcase farm where the crops are organized according to principles of sacred geometry and feng shui. “When people come onto the property, I tell them that they’re in our bubble. They really feel that. For people on The Wolfsonian’s tour, the farm will be a perfect opportunity to see the antithesis of industrialization. We are an extremely low tech way of doing agriculture, with great attention paid to detail. We plant, water, weed, and harvest by hand,” Marewski explains.

 

The tour consists of a walk of the farm and learning about its methods and philosophy. The farm’s layout is centered on a circle of beds and a gazebo designed in collaboration with local architect Robert Barnes and local artist Richard Medlock. The farm incorporates biodynamic principles, a relationship with the earth based on the energies of earth, sun, moon, and cosmos. Crops in season on the tour date include edible flowers, baby greens, jackfruit, herbs, and some citrus.

 

“We want to inspire people,” says Marewski. “We hope that by learning about how we grow and eating a healthy meal made from our crops, we will inspire people to live a healthier lifestyle and to grow their own food.”

 

In addition to the farm tour, in conjunction with current exhibitions the programming department is organizing a bicycle tour on July 13 to complement Women in Motion: Fitness, Sport, and the Female Figure. The farm tour is $65 per person; the event runs from 9am–2pm. To learn more about the farm tour or other programs, contact carl@thewolf.fiu.edu or 305.535.2644.

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