27 Portraits – Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana?

Please join us for an exhibition of 27 portraits
at the Little Gallery of San Bernardino,
Opening Reception
April 20th, 2019
5-9pm

27 Portraits
In exchange for drawing a self-portrait onto a hand-picked piece of fruit (oranges and lemons), each participant received a glass of organic juice. Collectively the citrusy self-portraits created a group portrait of everyone participated Hand-drawn expressions illustrate joy and innocence as well as wisdom and age. Portraits of participants along with their self-portraits are part of the recorded stories about the neighborhood and families of San Bernardino on the theme of … “Orange you glad…” Black markers and fruit become the drawing materials, and participants draw a picture of themselves without using a mirror in exchange for a glass of fresh juice. People can use the portraits on social media accounts as icons and avatars with hashtags. #orangeyougladtoseeme #FallenFruitSanBernardino

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Fallen Fruit’s project for San Bernardino evolved by working together with community members in the creation of a living artwork – an extension of an ongoing Fallen Fruit project called the “Endless Orchard.” The Endless Orchard builds community through expanding public access to fresh fruit. Fallen Fruit San Bernardino’s main site was The Garcia Center for the Arts in the City of San Bernardino, with other programming and plantings taking place at The Feldheym Library, with additional sites in Victorville, Lake Arrowhead, and Crestline. The project included plantings of a variety of citrus trees at the Garcia Center, fruit tree adoptions, poetry and collage that we turned into a zine (examples seen here at the show), hand-crafted wooden picnic tables etched with community quotes, and other public participatory projects.

Other local artists, including Printmaker Bob Hurton (aka Uncle Bacon) and Inlandia’s Poet Laureate, Nikia Chaney, worked with Fallen Fruit and community participants on the creation of the Zine. We would like to thank The City of Victorville, the staff at the Family Assistance Program in Old Town Victorville, and the students at the Rim of the Word High School in Lake Arrowhead for all of their support and dedication to making this project a reality. There are now two permanent public fruit tree site in Victorville, one in Lake Arrowhead, and another at the Garcia Center for the Arts! Our project site in Crestline is still underway.

DOWNLOAD Fallen Fruit Magazine, San Bernardino Edition, HERE

Special thanks to:
The Little Gallery of San Bernardino
City of Victorville
Socal Gas
Lake Arrowhead – Rim of the World High School
Family Assistance Program – Old Town Victorville
ROOT – Revive Our Old Town – Victorville
Garcia Center for the Arts
City of San Bernardino Art and Historic Preservation Commission
San Bernardino Art Association
California Arts Council
Arts Connection
Fallen Fruit