12. Museum of Vancouver

Project Description

Note: This project will take place in person

Context/Background?

Situated on the unceded homelands of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, the MOV Backyard Garden Project celebrates the multicultural and diverse backyard gardens kept by local residents in Metro Vancouver. The garden was established in partnership with UBC's Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies (INSTRCC) as part of the A Seat at the Table exhibit. A Seat at the Table was a multi-sited and collaborative exhibition project exploring historical and contemporary stories of Chinese Canadians in BC and their struggles for belonging. Using food and restaurant culture as entry point, the project highlights stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experiences and of the communities immigrants develop. It also addresses themes of belonging, racism, agency, resilience and reparation as important facets of the complex picture of Chinese migrants and their descendants in the province. A Seat at the Table left MOV in April 2023, but continues as a travelling exhibit.

The MOV backyard garden has been supported LFS 350 students since Fall 2021, with a focus on the Chinese "kitchen garden" -- a backyard garden kept by early Chinese immigrants when traditional Chinese crops were not readily available in local markets. While A Seat at the Table has moved on, the garden continues to be a place to explore and reflect on the roles of backyard gardens at the intersections of cultural heritage and our local food system. In Fall 2023, LFS 350 students will support the garden with a focus on exploring the intersection of migration experiences and food growing in Vancouver as an identity-building and connecting activity.

What Food System(s) Issues Does this Project Address?

MOV is dedicated to encouraging a deeper understanding of Vancouver through stories, objects and shared experiences. Its mission is to be a gathering space that fosters connection, learning, and new experiences of Vancouver’s diverse communities and histories. Aligned with MOV's mission, LFS 350 students will develop an interpretive program around the 3 raised beds. This includes seasonally appropriate garden tasks, and 3 interpretive panels intended to educate the public about the students' interventions. The panels should answer the W5H -- who, what, where, when, why, and how -- attending to both gardening education, and culture/identity.

The garden plots are situated next to the entrance of the museum and often attract visitors from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. Through their work, students will continue to animate the space, informally engaging with the public about the purpose of the garden project, and sharing information about their specific gardening activities. We hope the garden and accompanying panels will help educate the public on food growing, and provoke thoughts and conversation about food, identity, and place.

Main Project Activities

• Develop an interpretive program around 3 raised garden beds (MOV's "backyard" garden), including seasonally appropriate garden tasks (e.g. winterizing the garden, amending soil, etc.)
• Develop 3 interpretive panels telling the story of the students' garden intervention
  • Past students have often successfully framed the panels as a "meeting with a gardener" who shared their food choices and preferences + how those connect to their identity + gardening tips, however, we are open to different approaches
• Interact with the public/museum visitors when performing gardening activities at the museum, informally sharing information about the garden project and about specific gardening activities
• There may be an opportunity to connect the student activities with MOV's public programming (Alyssa de Jesus, program manager), however, Viviane is only able to commit to 10 hours of project support time during the term

Main Project Deliverables

• 3 raised garden beds prepared for the winter
• 3 interpretive panels

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Knowledge and experience of gardening
• Knowledge and interest in sustainable agriculture
• Strong interpersonal skills, comfortable speaking with strangers
• Experience engaging with public in an educational setting
• Interest in animating public spaces
• Interest in migration, racism, and diaspora

Is on-site work required?

• Yes

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• n/a

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• No

How much self-direction is expected from the students?

Note: Viviane is only able to commit to 10 hours of project support time during the term. This includes meetings, reviewing and giving feedback on submitted materials, and liaising with the printing company. Students should anticipate a high degree of self-direction

• Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Developing the activity plan and timeline: Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
• Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.): Led by students
• Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups): Led by students
• Finalizing the deliverable(s): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

• Students can potentially support an MOV event if appropriate (e.g. help with setup/clean up, etc.) to gain a more contextualized understanding of MOV's programming approach overall

Required Reading

Students should review the following materials prior to the first partner meeting. Additional orientation materials may be provided at the first partner meeting.

• Past project materials: MOV Backyard Garden: https://museumofvancouver.ca/backyard-garden
• Past garden projects: https://instrcc.ubc.ca/initiatives/projects/mov-backyard-garden/
• Chinese Canadian Stories IG (or search #movbygardens on IG)
• A Seat at the Table exhibit website
• Chinese Canadian Stories IG #movbygardens

Additional Materials

Food and Gardening

• BC regional planting charts (West Coast Seeds)
• Hancock, J.F. (2023). Fifty years later— the legacy of Alfred Crosby’s “The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492.” Economic Botany, 77.
• Back to the Roots Garden Workshop: https://museumofvancouver.ca/back-to-the-roots
• Covered Roots: The History of Vancouver's Chinese Farms (video)
• Shan, H. & Walter, P. (2014). Growing Everyday Multiculturalism: Practice-Based Learning of Chinese Immigrants Through Community Gardens in Canada. Adult Education Quarterly 65(1). doi https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713614549231

Culture and Identity

• Ang, I. (2001). "Identity Blues: Rescuing Cosmopolitanism in the Era of Globalization." In On Not Speaking Chinese: Living Between Asia and the West. Available from UBC Library
• Hall, S. (1987). "Minimal Selves." In Identity: The Real Me.
• Narayan, U. (1997). "Eating Cultures." In Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions, and Third World Feminism. Available from UBC Library
• Abbots, E. (2019). "Approaches to Food and Migration: Rootedness, Being and Belonging." In The Handbook of Food and Anthropology. Available from UBC Library

Writing

• UBC writing resources (from LFS 350 website)