Artist Statement
"Red Earth Farm CSA" is a presentation of 66 unframed sheets of handmade paper, each approximately 10 by 10 inches in size, mounted on the wall/s, arranged in groups of 2-4. The order of the paper, materials, and process by which the paper was created is explained thus:
In the spring of 2018 I purchased a full CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share from the family-owned Red Earth Farm in Kempton, Pennsylvania. For 22 weeks I saved all the leftover peels, stems, and seeds of the produce that I received and processed it into 10” x 10” sheets of paper. Each week’s leftovers yielded enough pulp for 2-3 sheets of paper.
Ultimately this was performance art. The act of creating the paper was the project, and the paper itself is tangible evidence of that experience. When the paper is arranged in chronological order – which is what I propose for this exhibition - the varying shades, colors and widely varying textures also tell the story of what produce was in season during what weeks.
These sheets of paper are also lasting physical artifacts that signify the domestic labor involved with food preparation. I calculated that I spend about 20 hours every week feeding the four people in my household. This includes making grocery lists within budget and shopping, meal preparation, and cleanup. This type of domestic labor is uncompensated, often taken for granted, and many adults do not have the time or resources to engage in it because the labor they do for necessary wages takes up so much time and energy. Thus CSA programs offered by small, local and sustainable farms end up being mainly supported by the professional rather than working class.
As the person who prepares meals for my household, I had an interest in buying a CSA share because I wanted to support a local, sustainable farm and feed my family healthy, home cooked meals. However, I noticed that even among those who could afford and had access to CSA, most were retirees and dedicated stay-at-home parents. I assumed this was because fresh produce must be used or processed within days or it is wasted. The level of productivity among American workers across the class spectrum has risen profoundly in recent decades. People with outside employment are often too busy and tired to deal with that every single week for months at a stretch, especially if they are also raising children. Even for those who can afford it, a CSA produce share becomes a source of additional stress in their lives because of the excess time and labor required for food preparation.
The purpose of this performance art is to bring more attention to these complex issues and ultimately spark discussions of how more people can have access to locally sourced, environmentally sustainable, and healthy food.”
Artist Bio
Martha Knox is a teaching artist and sole proprietor of Words On Woodcuts Press. She specializes in woodcuts, although recent work includes several time-based conceptual projects. Her work has been exhibited in the Delaware Art Museum, Sandy Spring Museum, and Philadelphia City Hall. Through her independent press she publishes books and calendars featuring her artwork. Knox has accepted invitations to artist residencies at the Artcroft Creative Center in rural Kentucky, the Yates Arts at Sunny Point in Penn Yan, New York, and Soaring Gardens Artist Retreat in Laceyville, Pennsylvania. As a teaching artist with organizations such as the Wagner Free Institute of Science and the Mural Arts Program, she has designed highly engaging arts curriculum and has worked with hundreds of students of all ages. She is the recipient of teaching fellowships from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Print Center, and the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA. She has prints in the permanent collections of libraries, universities, and arts centers. Knox holds a Masters in Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.