Fritz Haeg
Wildflowering L.A.
Fall 2013–Spring 2014
Los Angeles County
www.wildflowering.org
nomadicdivision.org
Wildflowering L.A. is a native wildflower seed planting initiative throughout Los Angeles County beginning in October 2013 by artist Fritz Haeg.
Wildflowering L.A. brings a wild and beautiful seasonal native landscape to open plots of land throughout Los Angeles County. 50 sites are selected from an open call based on public visibility and distribution across the county. Owners of selected sites are given free native wildflower seed mixes at workshops in partnership with The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers & Native Plants. Soil preparation, seeding, and wildflower tending is demonstrated and one of four custom wildflower seed mixes is prescribed—Coastal, Flatlands, Hillside, and Roadside—inspired by Reyner Banham’s 1971 book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies. Each of the participating sites is officially identified with a prominent carved wood sign. The project culminates with an exhibition in Los Angeles in spring 2014.
“Age-defying thirsty landscapes of clipped evergreen shrubbery and lawns cover this city that supposedly has no seasons, no sense of time, combined with a denial of death and aging. However, the story of the native wildflowers of Los Angeles is more complex, nuanced, localized, and ever-changing. Long-anticipated early winter rains germinate seeds that have been lying in wait, buried in dry soils from the low coasts to the high deserts, from the valley flats to the mountain slopes. Gradual growth with cool temperatures and low sun through winter months give way to an early spring explosion of bright green and rainbow color. The story of the seasons is told by the timing and extent of the bloom in direct proportion to the rainfall, temperatures, and climate. The plants turn a crisp golden brown as the dry summer months return, and the flowers prepare to broadcast their seeds for next year’s story.”
–Fritz Haeg
Public workshops
Sunday, October 27, 11am–5pm
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
301 North Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91007
Saturday, November 2, 11am–5pm
Rancho Cienega Recreation Center
5001 Rodeo Road
Los Angeles, CA 90016
If interested in participating, please email wildfloweringla [at] nomadicdivision.org.
Visit wildflowering.org for more information.
About LAND
LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division) is a non-profit public art organization committed to curating site- and situation-specific contemporary art projects in Los Angeles and beyond. LAND believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to experience innovative contemporary art in their day-to-day lives. In turn, artists deserve the opportunity to realize projects, otherwise unsupported, at unique sites in the public realm. Since its inception in 2009, LAND has produced over 50 discreet exhibitions and programs around the country.
About Fritz Haeg
Fritz Haeg is a Los Angeles-based artist whose multifaceted practice includes salon-style events and installations that actively involve the audience/viewer. Bodies of work include edible gardens, public dances, educational environments, animal architecture, domestic gatherings, urban parades, temporary encampments, documentary videos, publications, exhibitions, websites, and occasionally buildings for people. Haeg’s work has been exhibited at Tate Modern, London; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Haeg is a Rome Prize fellow, a MacDowell Colony Fellow (2007, 2009 and 2010), and a Montalvo Arts Center fellow (2012).
Wildflowering L.A. is supported by a grant from the James Irvine Foundation.