Amy Franceschini: Futurefarmers Cultivating Consciousness Since 1995

Amy Franceschini of San Francisco, is a contemporary American artist and designer who's practices span from drawing, painting, sculpture, design, net art, public art and gardening. She teaches media theory and practice courses at both Stanford University and San Francisco Art Institute.

In 1995, she founded Futurefarmers as a way to bring together multidisciplinary art practitioners to bring together new work. They are, "teachers, researchers, designers, gardeners, scientists, engineers, illustrators, people who know how to sew, pattern makers, cooks and bus drivers with a common interest in creating work that challenge current social, political and economic systems." Amy Franceschini explains, "The name [Futurefarmers] is a product of my childhood," explaining the influences of her father, a corporate farmer and owner of a pesticide company, and her mother, a New Age type devoted to the notion of organic farming.

Her Futurefarmers are comfortable with both traditional and new media, allowing them to employ a fertile approach to all of their projects. They also have an Artist in Residency Program, and have housed 19 artists from 8 countries who have created experimental and client based projects along with the Futurefarmers.

You can check out all of their projects on their website, but I figured I'd give you a taste by posting some their eco-friendly art projects for you.

CIVIC CYCLE 2008

Civic Cycle is a temporary bike share program, a public bike pump and a public forum to present existing city bike share programs as well as an open discussion to gather input on what San Francisco’s city bike program might look and operate like. The goal of this project is to cut traffic, reduce pollution, improve parking and enhance the city’s image as a greener, quieter, more relaxed place.

RAINWATER HARVESTER/GREYWATER FEEDBACK LOOP

A water saving system made from salvaged materials storing two types of water–water that normally runs away while becoming hot and rain water. The water is stored in the 3 small recycling bins which can also be used as benches to sit upon. The hand crank device on the right is used to pump stored water back to the sink to be used at a later time. The sink is equip with a variable drain allowing you to decide to let your water run back into the storage units, into the greywater system to the garden or out to the city system.

VICTORY GARDENS

An ongoing project being developed with the City of San Francisco. The program began as a utopian proposal and has now become a pilot project that supports the transition of backyard, front yard, window boxes, rooftops and unused land into food production areas. Victory Gardens has the mission to create and support a citywide network of urban farmers by (1) growing, distributing and supporting home gardens, (2) educating through lessons, exhibitions and web sites and (3) planting demonstration gardens in highly visible public lands; garden at city hall, schools and Golden Gate Park.

Amy Franceschini is a perfect example of a strong and independent woman who is blending her creativity and eco-awareness to create artistic activism and strive for change.

Cristy C. Road is CROADCORE: Questioning Gender Through Illustration and Writing

I first discovered Cristy C. Road way back in the summer of 2006 while leafing through a bunch of books, postcards and zines at The Trumbullplex in Detroit. I don't know if it was the super-relateable auto-bioesque prose or the detailed, thought-provoking artwork that caught my attention first, but after picking up GREENZINE 14, I was hooked and have been religiously following Cristy's ever since.

Cristy C. Road is a Cuban-American from Miami, Florida who has been drawing since she's been able to hold a pencil. She blends, "the inevitable existence of social principles, cultural identity, sexual identity, mental inadequacies, and dirty thoughts; thriving to testify the beauty of the imperfect." She attended Ringling School of Art and Design where she grew fervently upset with the commercial view and representation of the media's ideal women. In reaction to that she began writing, illustrating, and publishing GREENZINE at the age of 14 and kept it going for ten solid years. GREENZINE focused on "the politics of punk rock and honesty of adolescence," while also mixing in ideas of race, gender, and sexual liberation.

I just finished re-reading Cristy's coming-of-age illustrated memoir, INDESTRUCTIBLE, which I seem to be able to relate to more and more with every time I pick it up (this would have been my third time). Her flowing, descriptive prose alone can paint a vivid picture in the minds of any reader, but added with her killer, gritty artwork, the novel is an instant page turner. She gives a voice to every frustrated teenager, and a trip back down memory lane to any adult who has ever questioned their roles, or tried to defy the norms. The entire novel looks at gender bias and promotes all youth to question what is "acceptable." She reminds all women that they're still powerful and beautiful no matter how "different" they are.

Cristy's most recent work, BAD HABITS: A LOVE STORY, is another auto-biographical novel, but this time she's retelling how she overcame an abusive, manipulative relationship and her realization that self-love is the most important love you can find.

Her artwork alone would attract someone to pick up one of her books. DISTANCE MAKES THE HEART GROW SICK, a die-cut book of post cards features a whole slew of her best illustrations that you can rip out and share with your friends.

Though I don't know Cristy personally, I feel as if she's one of my closest, most inspirational friends. Her stories and artwork have not only inspired me, but also encouraged me to keep doing what I do, because no matter WHAT you do, or who you are, someone will always care, and someone will always feel exactly the same. Cristy reminds us we're never alone and that we should all continue to question our roles in society, otherwise nothing will change.
Ray Suburbia said it best, "So much of the world is bullshit. But yours doesn't have to be if you don't want it to. Cristy's writing reminds you of that."