Connecting organic agricultural to legacy of Indigenous knowledge

• BY KASLO HAMILTON MUSKOKAREGION.COM

• JULY 24, 2023

Hamilton-based artist Kyle Joedicke, Cayuga (Turtle Clan), recently completed his mural on one of the Good Food Co-op's highly visible modular farms.

“The 40-foot container wall was calling for a design with colour, with plant life and with a story that creates happiness,” said Kelli Ebbs who had been following Joedicke’s work “for some time, absolutely loving his style, his graciousness and his connection to his works.”

Joedicke, who said he comes to Muskoka for yearly camping trips, began the mural on July 11. The mural, which depicts “the story of the circle of life and the light,” said Ebbs, was created using low pressure specialized spray paints and exterior primers.

“My primary inspiration for this mural was connecting the concepts of sustainable, organic agricultural techniques used in the Co-op to the legacy of Indigenous knowledge surrounding farming and medicinal plant life. Depicted in the mural are specific plants such as tobacco and strawberries that are used for a variety of ceremonies at different times of year, as well as for healing one’s body,” said Joedicke.

As a self-taught artist, Joedicke “practised graffiti for approximately 15 years before switching [his] focus to fine art and large-scale murals for the public.” Joedicke said that his “professional career has spanned the last five years, however, marked by beginning [his] working relationships with the Art Gallery of Hamilton and Beckett Fine Art.”

The Good Food Co-op is “an organization of people with a deep connection to the land from which the nourishing food and sustenance we are able to provide to our community is produced,” said Ebbs. This modular farm mural project is part of the Co-op's commitment to reconciliation.

“As part of our responsibility, the Co-op sincerely commits to ongoing engagement, collaborative and reciprocal work with the original peoples of this land, righting some of the wrongs which occurred when colonization interrupted their deep-rooted relationship with the land and waters. We intend to act in a way that will advance the inherent right of the Original Peoples to restore their natural place with the land,” Ebbs said about their commitment in the co-op's 2023 strategic plan.

The Co-ops modular farm, which has the ability to grow fresh produce year-round in a shipping container, provided Ebbs the exciting opportunity to work with Joedicke. “Food is art. Caring is art. And therefore we love art and have always strived to support artists of all types, including farmers, musicians, painters, photographers and more. This was a perfect time to reach out to see if we could create something collaboratively and [Joedicke] said yes!” Ebbs said.

In a post to his Instagram, @kylejoedickeart, Joedicke said that the mural took two days to complete, setting a new personal record. In addition to the mural, Joedicke designed a new logo for the modular farm, which Ebbs said a graphic designer is now working with to overlay text.

“What you see is Kyle's vision in a traditional Woodlands design inspired by the street art and graffiti that he grew up practicing. It was not only an absolute delight to get to know Kyle and to welcome him to Huntsville and the Co-op, but we also love what he has gifted our community,” said Ebbs.

“This opportunity to spend some time in the Huntsville area certainly gave me a chance to take in more than what you might on a weekend getaway, and I must say I love the (town), Huntsville,” said Joedicke. “I want to bring Indigenous art and culture to the forefront of society and give the members of the urban Indigenous community a sense of ownership over their spaces,” said Joedicke.

“Now, you can sit in our beautiful edible garden and be graced by the beauty of two murals,” said Ebbs. “We're equally grateful to all of the people who have and do reside here; past, present, and future. As a community, we will continue to commit to the ongoing learning, education, humility and opportunity to honour the beauty and generosity of this relationship of reciprocity and relational accountability.”