Community Gardens by Lyla Paakkanen

Green New Deal
Proceeds Support:
Sunrise Movement

Proceeds support Sunrise Movement, a growing army of young people dedicate to making climate change an urgent priority across America, ending the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and electing leaders who stand up for the health and well-being of all people. Learn more about the project here.

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Design By: Lyla Paakkanen
Lyla Paakkanen

Lyla Paakkanen lives in Sacramento, where the Pony Express ended its route. She is a freelance artist and illustrator, has a Master’s Degree in Art from CSUN, Communications Design from UCLA. She taught art at 5 colleges and has won many awards in California and Colorado for her work.

 

Design By: Lyla Paakkanen
Lyla Paakkanen

Lyla Paakkanen lives in Sacramento, where the Pony Express ended its route. She is a freelance artist and illustrator, has a Master’s Degree in Art from CSUN, Communications Design from UCLA. She taught art at 5 colleges and has won many awards in California and Colorado for her work.

 

Artist Statement

As our world becomes more connected through the internet, social media, instant mail and instant news and video, we can become more isolated. Living our lives through others' experiences in video and streaming content can make us feel more like an anonymous viewer, that someone else will take care of the problems of the world. But the phrase, "It takes a village" has been true since ancient times. This image of a community garden represents a "village" of people with diverse backgrounds working together to tend the plants. As they work together, they learn from each other, who they are, their customs and traditions, their life experiences, and their ideas. The garden is an equalizer as it teaches the participants to work in cooperation with each other and nature. Like the gardeners, everything in the garden is dependent upon everything in it, the soil, the water, even the insects and old, rotting plants as compost to replenish the soil! Everyone helps one another to make things grow and teaches each other the most effective way to grow a bountiful harvest after hard work. Our planet earth is our beautiful community garden where we can help each other to tend and protect every part of it to help it to thrive! When our garden thrives, we thrive! Without it, how can we sustain life? - Lyla Paakkanen