Help our Kickstarter so we can plant 300 fruit trees in New Orleans.

We are bringing our Creative Capital project to New Orleans!

Pelican Bomb, A Studio in the Woods, and Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University present “Fallen Fruit of New Orleans,” a citywide suite of public projects with internationally acclaimed artists Fallen Fruit (David Burns and Austin Young). This multi-site presentation continues Fallen Fruit’s exploration of the ways people experience public space. As one component, Fallen Fruit will plant 300 fruit trees throughout New Orleans in 2018—in honor of the city’s tricentennial—for residents to share, and you can help by supporting our Kickstarter campaign until November 21. The Kickstarter helps us meet our goal of providing matching funds to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Since 2004, Fallen Fruit has planted public fruit trees in more than 30 cites across the U.S. Now they aim to plant 300 fruit trees across New Orleans for the city’s tricentennial. Get involved: kck.st/2z2Tfrm

About Fallen Fruit’s Endless Orchard
Fallen Fruit started in 2004 in Los Angeles with the creative mapping of locations of fruit growing on or over public property, and since then the artists have worked in over 30 cities around the world. In January, they will work in partnership with the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development and the City of New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways to plant networks of publicly accessible fruit trees in two New Orleans neighborhoods: along the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle in the Lower 9th Ward and in Pontchartrain Park. Residents and community groups in both neighborhoods can also participate by planting trees along sidewalks in front of their homes, churches, and businesses to provide a much needed resource—fresh, healthy food—to their friends, neighbors, and anybody passing by. And the artists will host a citywide tree adoption day, open to all, at Newcomb Art Museum on Tulane University’s campus. All of the planted fruit trees will join Fallen Fruit’s Endless Orchard, a massive, living public art and digital mapping project. Fallen Fruit is an art collaboration originally conceived by David Burns, Matias Viegener, and Austin Young. Since 2013, Burns and Young have continued the collaborative work. “Fallen Fruit of New Orleans” was initiated by Pelican Bomb in 2015.

Why New Orleans?
In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit and the federal levees failed, flooding and wind destroyed the tree canopy along the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle. Further ecological shifts, including salt-water intrusion, have also led to tree loss in the area, and residents of the Lower 9th Ward have verified that most of the neighborhood fruit trees have been destroyed.

Fruit is a symbol of generosity across cultures. In Fallen Fruit’s work, fruit offers a platform for sharing, storytelling, and collective understanding. Studies have shown that fruit trees have further positive impacts: catching rainwater and removing pollutants from the soil and air; supporting the ecosystem of bees, birds, and wildlife; promoting well-being and food security; increasing property values; and creating more beautiful and walkable streets. Researchers have even linked an increased tree canopy to decreased crime rates.

To help plant fruit trees across New Orleans, donate to Fallen Fruit’s Kickstarter campaign before it ends on Tuesday, November 21. We have four weeks to meet our fundraising goal of $20,000, and we can’t do it without you. For Kickstarter rewards, the artists have designed a selection of exclusive items ranging from tote bags and fruit jam to limited-edition prints and experiences, including the opportunity to dedicate a fruit tree in your name or in honor of a loved one.

That’s Not All…
Alongside the planting of 300 fruit trees in New Orleans, Fallen Fruit will work with local residents to create fun and enriching public participatory programs that celebrate New Orleans’ social histories, neighborhood stories, and the value of generosity and collective action. These include a pickle party where residents gather to make delicious pickles; a collectively made magazine; a sno-ball portrait studio; and more.

And in April, Fallen Fruit will open an exhibition at Newcomb Art Museum bringing together objects from Tulane University’s special collections to further examine the ways the story of New Orleans is told. Recent exhibitions and projects include commissioned works by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane; the Athens Biennale; the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha; the Portland Art Museum; and the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus.

Imagine a New Orleans where everyone can walk out of their front doors to enjoy freshly picked pieces of fruit. Donate now on Kickstarter to support “Fallen Fruit of New Orleans” before Tuesday, November 21.

*The Endless Orchard is a Creative Capital awarded artwork and phase one was funded by the Muriel Pollia Foundation, Good Works Foundation, the Awesome Foundation and everyone who supported our ‘phase one’ Kickstarter. Check out the web app at EndlessOrchard.com and add to this massive edible collaborative fruit sharing map.

Contact Charlie Tatum at charlie@pelicanbomb.com with all press inquiries.