By Maru Garcia

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Soil? In my case, it is the smell of Soil when it just rained, the joy of eating the first tomato from the garden, and childhood memories of playing in the small yard in front of my house in Mexico.

For me, Soil is more than dirt! It is the foundation for healthy ecosystems and plays an essential role in sustaining life. It provides a variety of ecosystem and societal functions like supporting the world's demands of food, fibers, and fuels, regulating Earth's air and water quality, and acting as a carbon sequestration agent. But besides all that, Soil is relationship, place, and life.

After arriving in LA, I learned about the contamination caused by Exide Industries in Vernon in the surrounding neighborhoods, where thousands of people were exposed to lead through the Soil in their own backyards. Thinking of Soil made me consider the environmental injustices our families face and the need to heal the Soil, our communities, and ourselves.

Prospering backyards (Pb lead element) is a project that brings together community members, artists, activists, scientists, and the public to find alternative solutions to reducing lead exposure in peoples' backyards (or front yards). It is also a collaborative effort between organizations like Self Help Graphics & Art, the Natural History Museum, and other LA-based initiatives with a history in environmental justice working toward safe playgrounds and the ability to grow food without the risk of lead poisoning.

Parallel to Prospering backyards, we are launching Soil time!, a monthly workshops series about Soil. The workshops will highlight critters found in Soil, minerals that sustain life, our connection with food, the challenges soil faces, and our cultural relationship to it. Participants will interact with artists and scientists and share their ways of connecting with Soil.

Finally, we invite all residents on the eastside to become Community Scientists and tackle local lead contamination? Take control of your environmental health and help create ways for others to do the same. Find more information here.

We hope to see you at the first Soil time! free workshop on Saturday, March 5, 1-3 pm. Space is limited. RSVP here. 

Getty Art X Science Initiative

As part of SHG's research for its exhibition Sinks: Places we call home (part of the Getty's Art x Science initiative), the Los Angeles-based artist Maru Garcia has been working with the mineral scientists at the Natural History Museum (NHM) to identify a lead-reducing method to treat contaminated Soil. 

In addition to scientific research, community input is essential. Maru has led a programmatic initiative inviting community members to learn about our neighborhood's environmental history, Soil's fundamental properties and to get their hands dirty.

Maru García is a Mexican artist and researcher working across art + science + environment. She is interested in creating spaces of healing, resilience, and regeneration.

Photo Credit: Yogan Muller and SHG