About the PLOT
“While the artistic invitation of ‘the plot’ created the possibility for a new urban commons, the people who were drawn to it shaped it into a vibrant intergenerational, inter-racial, inter-faith common space where all were welcomed;
quite extraordinary, to say the least!”
–Michael Lewis, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Community Renewal
“THE PLOT” is a community run and supported project. It was initiated in 2016 by the The People’s Food Security Bureau. The PFSB was formed in 2015, by artists Cora and Don Li-Leger, to further the mission of integrating art and life through food. “With art at the center, The People’s Food Security Bureau advocates artisanal agriculture, home cooking, and living in the oneness of all things.”
The idea was to create a garden based on artistic expression that would generate a sense of community and at the same time provide free food for the Food Banks and others in the community.
The PLOT was to be a collectively-tended, interactive, and functional land art piece for the community – not an aggregate of individually-owned plots as in a community allotment garden, but a single large garden to provide opportunities for participation, inspiration, education, and food for the surrounding community. It was to be a single-season exploration of community capability and potential.
The PLOT is a testament to what can manifest within a single growing season. The degree of community enrichment experienced as a result of this project, suggests the extensive benefits of utilizing publicly owned vacant land in city neighbourhoods on a year-to year basis. The materials used are all natural and require little or no alterations to return the land to its former state, making it ideal for these spaces that are only temporarily available.
The PLOT Continues
At the end of the first growing season the PLOT was turned over to the Friends of the PLOT. They have stayed true to Don and Cora’s vision.
The PLOT has continued to provide free food to the community. During the worst of Covid free Care Baskets were delivered and a Free Vegetable Stand was stocked with purchased produce.
And the PLOT has continued to nurture the spirit!
