On the corner of Smith street and Bergen there is a raised garden growing corn that has sprung up very recently and passers-by may ask themselves, "what's up this that?" Well aside from it being a pretty garden near a couple of eyesores, Domino's pizza on the same corner and Dunkin' Donuts across the street, it actually has a story. Brooklyn visual artist and filmmaker, Christina Kelly, created this garden, called Maize Field, and two others in the Brooklyn area. The gardens are built in areas that were prime Native American cultivating grounds in the 17th century. Christina states on the project's website,
http://brooklynmaize.org, that
"the corn gardens of Maize Field are meant to be a meditation on the change and displacements that have been part of New York’s history. At the same time, they symbolize gestures of restoration and resiliency that are also a part of city life." As well as an art project, this is also a real working garden. Christina brought the first of her harvested corn and sunflowers to Farm City Fair on September 12th. You can also check out her bounty at The Invisible Dog Art Center at 51 Bergen St.
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