Calendar 2024
Wednesday October 2, Works in Progress 6-9PM
Wednesday October 2, Darkroom 7-9PM
Friday October 4, Oscar Lieber Exhibition Aigamo 5-7:30PM
Friday October 4, Food Forest 5-7:30PM
Friday October 4, Movie Night 8PM
Saturday October 5, Native Pollinator Plant Seed Collecting 10AM–12PM
Sunday October 6, Make Mends Meet (it’s back!!!) 10:30-1PM
Wednesday September 25, Works in Progress 6-9PM Do your work…but with other people!
Wednesday September 25, Darkroom 7-9PM Enlarge or develop your photo ideas..
Thursday September 26, Journalism, Writing, and Inequality 7PM Guest speaker Indian journalist P. Sainath at the SF
Friday September 27, Food Forest 5:30-7PM It’s time to plant the apple trees!
Friday September 27, Artist Talk Leslie Ford for her Exhibition: Water Thyme 7PM See and hear about the reverie of an invisible world.
Sunday September 29, Miyawaki Forest Planting 10AM-12 (Rain date Sunday Oct 6) Help plant a few hundred tree and shrub seedlings in the upper SF field!
Monday September 30, Do and Dine 6-7:30PM Do the work–but first, share a meal together…
For more details, see the Soil Factory Newsletter or email lehmanna107@gmail.com
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday September 18, Works in Progress 6-9PM Do your own work, with other people, in a meadow…
Wednesday September 18, Darkroom 7-9PM Learn new-to-you old techniques of film developing
Friday September 20, Food Forest 5:30-7PM Scatter some wood chips, dig some holes…
Friday September 20, Movie Night 7:30PM New toilet-themed movies. Yes, we’re serious.
Sunday September 22, OJI:SDA’ Volunteer Harvest Day 4-6:30PM Help pick and pack herbal teas for a good cause
Monday September 23, Nuts and Bolts Organizational Meeting 6-7:30PM Learn what we’re all about behind the scenes…if you dare!
For more information about anything here, please see the Soil Factory Newletter or contact lehmanna107@gmail.com
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday September 11, Works in Progress 6-9PM Low bar way to gather and work with others
Wednesday September 11, Darkroom 7-9PM Try out new to you techniques
Thursday September 12, Art Talk and Opening with Dan Torop 7PM Photography and History from the Wilson Synchrotron at Cornell
Friday September 13, Food Forest 5:30-7pm Help plan and plant and edible forest
Monday September 16, Movement at the Soil Factory Planning Session 4-5PM Bring your ideas to move at the SF
Monday September 16, Art Share 5-7PM Join other artists to share work
For more details, please see the Soil Factory Newsletter or contact lehmanna107@gmail.com
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday September 4, Works in Progress 6-9PM Come do your work, but with others around!
Wednesday September 4, Darkroom 7-9PM Discover old but perhaps new-to-you film developing techniques.
Thursday Sept 5, Do and Dine 6:30-8PM Share the work, share a meal.
Saturday September 7, SF Field Trip to the Cornell Crop Garden 11AM (rain date Sunday Sept 8 11AM) A field trip to an actual field!
Sunday September 8, Watermelon Carving/Knotweed Harvest Extravaganza, 2-6:30 PM Watermelon Jack-o-lanterns and Knotweed Structures? Only at the Soil Factory!
Sunday September 8, OJI:SDA’ Medicinal Garden Volunteer Day 4-6:30PM Help harvest and prep teas from the garden to the people.
Monday September 9, Nuts and Bolts meeting 6-7:30PM Come tell us what YOU want to see and do at the Soil Factory!
For more information on any of these events, please see the Soil Factory Newsletter or contact lehmanna107@gmail.com
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday August 28, Works in Progress 6-9PM
Get what you need to do, done–with people around!
Wednesday August 28, Darkroom 7-9PM
Saturday August 31, Discussion and Snacks with GALA (Green Art Lab Alliance) 10AM
Sunday September 1, Cyanotype on Fabric Workshop 12-3PM
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday August 14, Works in Progress 6-9PM
Wednesday August 14, Darkroom 7PM
Thursday, August 15, Soil Factory Doppelgängers and Analogues 6PM
Friday August 16, Food Forest 5:30-7PM
Sunday August 18, Soil Factory Barter Market 1-4PM
Monday August 19, Nuts & Bolts (and Gummy Bears) 6-7:30PM
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday August 7, Weekly Works in Progress 6-9PM
Wednesday August 7, Darkroom 7-9PM
Thursday August 8, Field Trip: The Soil Factory visits Ithaca Print Commons 2-4PM
Monday August 12, The Cayuga Lake Watershed Internship Program Presentation: Hope for a Healthier Watershed 6-8PM
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday July 31, Darkroom 7PM More Cyanotype and Black and White film work
Wednesday July 31, Works in Progress 6-9PM
Monday August 5, Nuts & Bolts 6-7:30PM
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday July 24, Darkroom 7PM
Visit our newly renovated darkroom and experiment
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday July 17, Meet Artist-in-Residence Sacha Yanow and Community Potluck 7PM
This Week in Brief:
Wednesday July 10, The First Weekly Wednesdays: Works in Progress event @Thesoilfactory 6-9PM
Wednesday July 10 and Thursday July 11, “Loo with a View” Design workshop 11AM-6PM
Friday July 12- 19, The Soil Factory welcomes artist-in-residence Sacha Yanow
Sunday July 7, Make Mends Meet 10:30am – 1PM
This Week in Brief:
NO DARKROOM this week
Tuesday June 25, Community Potluck and Listening Event 5:30pm
Friday June 28, Food Forest 5:30PM
Tuesday June 11, Darkroom 7-9PM
Wednesday June 12, Darkroom 7-9PM
Sunday June 16, Makes Mends Meet 10:30-1pm
Sunday June 16, How to Interview a Loved One 2-4pm
Tuesday June 4, Darkroom 7-9PM
Continue learning sustainable building techniques with Tom
** Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve had to reschedule our Sound of Soil workshop for later this summer. Details to come…
This Week at the Soil Factory:
Wednesday May 29, Darkroom 7-9PM
This Week at the Soil Factory:
MEMORIAL WEEKEND/IMMEMORIAL TRADITIONS at the Soil Factory including:
5-6PM Beginner lesson -taught by Alina Achenbach-Schill
6-7PM Potluck dinner – join the Tango community
7-8PM The Tango Experience – Practica – Barnaby Ruhe
8PM Milonga – Community Dance Party
Tuesday-Wednesday May 14-15, Monty Hamm’s installation is up: Mycelium Madness
Wednesday May 15, Darkroom Exploits 7-9PM
Thursday May 16, Creative Thursdays 10:30-12:30
Friday May 17, Pizza and Pyrolysis 5:30PM
Friday May 17, Food Forest 5:30PM
Saturday May 18, Zine Workshop 1:30-4PM
Sunday May 19, Make Mends Meet 10:30-1PM
Sunday May 19, Whole Hog Roast 4:30PM
This Week at the Soil Factory:
Tuesday May 7, Speculative Futures for Cornell Land, 5:30PM
A Cornell class in design shares their creative ideas for reminagining the land holdings of Cornell, inspired from research, historical texts and local partners. Dinner after.
Wednesday May 8, More Darkroom Fun 7-9PM
Black and white photography and cyanotype fun continues. No experience necessary.
Thursday May 9, Creative Thursdays with Debora Faccion, 10:30-12:30
Kiddos and caregivers explore the fun of art through nature and discovery.
Friday May 10, Co-working and Cocktails 10-6:30
Bring your work and share space, place and coffee, tea and after hours beverages with your SF community.
Friday May 10 Food Forest Planning and Prep 5:30PM with potluck after
Continue planning and start prepping and planting.
Saturday, May 11, Soil Factory Clean Up, 1-5PM, pizza party after
Join in to help us clean up the Soil Factory inside and out! We’ll fire up the pizza oven afterwards.
Sunday, May 12, Clothing Swap and Trinket Trade 1-5PM
Bring what you’re bored with…pick out something new to you!
Sunday, May 12, Road Ecology, 1-5PM
Learn about our local wildlife and their vulnerabilities. Bring a tshirt or something to silkscreen on.
For more details, see this week’s SF Newsletter.
This week at the Soil Factory:
Tuesday, April 30, Artist Residency Meeting 6PM
For anyone interested in being involved in running the Art Residency Program at the SF
Wednesday, May 1, Parallel Passages Art Exhibition Opening 6-8PM
Student projects explore animation and video installations, electronic sound objects, kinetic sculptures and Augmented and Virtual Reality experiences. Bring your mobile device and headphones to best experience some of the pieces.
Thursday, May 2, Creative Thursdays with Debora Faccion, 10:30-12:30
Exploration of art with children 0-12 and their caregivers for discovery of new media and techniques.
Saturday, May 4, Music at the SF hosted by Travis Johns, 8PM
One of those weird music shows we host here from time to time. Three great musical artists.
Sunday, May 5, Work Party on the Greenhouse, 9-3
Come mix, mingle, and help build a greenhouse…
Sunday, May 5, Make Mends Meet, 10:30-1
Mending, stitching, sewing together. No skill needed!
Sunday, May 5, Climate Fiction Writing Group, 3-5PM
Read, write and talk about Climate Fiction (Cli Fi)
Sunday, May 5, Wing Fling, 6PM
Join in for a wander to look at and draw insects; potluck dinner together!
Tuesday, May 7, Speculative Futures, 5:30PM
Listen to new thoughts about Cornell land by a student group studying speculative futures. See their ideas. Stay for dinner!
For more info on any of these events, see the Soil Factory Newsletter!
March 20, (Wednesday) 7:00pm Thinking B&W photography — The basics of developing a roll of film. The developers and fixers are now here and ready for use!
For those potential visual luminaries who refuse to let the art of Black and White analog photography and other alternative photographic methods fade into oblivion under the onslaught of digital throw away culture and half second attention spans, Here’s your opportunity! The Soil Factory community darkroom continues it’s series of photography and image exploration.
The chemistry is here now and hopefully last week everyone had a chance to practice loading film onto the spools using the changing bag. If not, there’s plenty of time to continue to master your technique. These sessions are open to everyone curious enough to delve into the mysteries of the alternative photographic universe…
This workshop is offered at no charge except for the cost of materials (Approximately $2.50 per film canister) Bring an exposed roll of Black and white film to develop. For those who don’t have an old film camera or rolls of B&W film, The Soil Factory has a few loaners and invites those people interested in exploring to come ask questions, and learn more.
Future workshops will delve into the mysteries of creating images using classic photographic enlargers, those behemoths that both inspired and challenged generations of darkroom enthusiasts. Cyanotypes, salt prints, van dyke prints and other alternative techniques including caffenol (essentially developing film with cheap instant coffee and orange juice) and other interesting combinations. Let’s explore some possibilities. Please contact neil@askpearl.com to make sure enough room and materials are available for the event.
Debora Faccion Grodzki is incorporating into her studio practice to be at the SF warehouse every Thursday morning — most of the time with children!
She writes:
“…My little intervention today was also to invite whoever wants to talk through their thoughts about creative projects — how to structure it theoretically, find art historical references, etc — to feel free to meet me at the warehouse on Thursdays too! I have a few years of experience mentoring artists this way, and I would love to chat with folks at the SF. Again, I plan to be there every Thursday morning, usually between 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM, so it will be easy to find me. Anyone who is a parent/ caregiver and would like to meet me there with their children, please email me in advance so I know their age and can plan accordingly. Or show up to invent something together on the spot! Everyone is an artist, too, and everything I do is art (I write more about this in my artist statement), so we can figure anything out together at The Soil Factory.”
March 22 (Friday), 8:00pm Claude and Ola Aldous, Marilyn Borer Bor, Multifungi, & Vaux Flores
Our resident electronic music maven Travis Johns has invited some friends from the Adirondacks to come by and treat us to their explorative mix of musical talent. Joining us tonight will also be visual & performance artist Marilyn Borer Bor whose work explores her Mayan heritage, directly addressing racism, patriarchy, colonialism, identity, etc. through print, video, performance, photography, installation and artifact, often going to such extremes as literally changing her name as well as encasing herself in concrete. Paulina Velazquez Solís will be performing live animation and sound, and Travis himself will be taking some video synthesis hardware for a spin? We’re in for an exciting evening!
The Storied Maple: Community Storytelling Around a Maple Sap Boil
Due to Rain, this event has been moved to Sunday March 24, 1pm – 4pm
March 23 (Saturday), 4pm – 6pm Rural Futurists with Ojok Okello and Jacob Fox
Community builder and rural futurist Ojok Okello, the organizer of the Okere City Community Development project in Uganda, will sit down with Jacob Fox, a local regenerative systems expert from Geneva NY to discuss the topic of Rural Futurism. Ojok is doing fabulous work on this concept in Uganda and has agreed to share his experiences with us.
What can we learn from Ojok’s Okere City Project, and what is the relevance of this kind of thinking and approach to upstate NY? Come and hear more from these visionaries.
Come and enjoy good food and conversation to wrap up Saturday’s activities. Meet new and interesting people, and reconnect with old friends. Bring a dish to pass with your food of choice, though food made with the 3 sisters in mind (corn, beans or squash) would be particularly apropos for the occasion. Each of our community meals leads to interesting new ideas, nascent projects, and captivating discussions. Come and enjoy what The Soil Factory is all about!
Anna DavidsonMike DeMunn (Onödowáʼga)Josh DolanEmma GutierrezStephen Henhawk (Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ)Kelly PresuttiMichelle Seneca (Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ)Gabe SmithAlina Stelick
March 16 (Saturday) 5:00pm; Artist Talk — Matthew Fenn and Weeds in Winter;
Matthew Fenn explores environmental transitions and plant resilience outside of the Northeast growing season.
Matthew explains:
“During this past November and December, I collected the remains of common agricultural weeds from meadows around Ithaca and used these as templates for making cyanotypes- an alternative form of photography with historical ties to plant classification and taxonomy. In capturing ghostly images of what’s left behind from these plants in the “off season,” my hope is to document some of the species- especially those often overlooked or undesired- that contribute every year to the character of our regional landscape. Furthermore, I want to reflect upon how these plant communities may fluctuate and adapt to a changed environment in the years to come.”
Matthew’s work will be displayed at TSF through March 23.
Debora Faccion Grodzki is incorporating into her studio practice to be at the SF warehouse every Thursday morning — most of the time with children!
She writes:
“I spent some time this morning at the warehouse thinking through ideas, and I created a little poster and added a couple of books to the display that currently shows what Johannes brought about Black Mountain College. I plan to leave my poster there for one or two weeks. However, my little intervention today was also to invite whoever wants to talk through their thoughts about creative projects — how to structure it theoretically, find art historical references, etc — to feel free to meet me at the warehouse on Thursdays too! I have a few years of experience mentoring artists this way, and I would love to chat with folks at the SF. Again, I plan to be there every Thursday morning, usually between 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM, so it will be easy to find me. Anyone who is a parent/ caregiver and would like to meet me there with their children, please email me in advance so I know their age and can plan accordingly. Or show up to invent something together on the spot! Everyone is an artist, too, and everything I do is art (I write more about this in my artist statement), so we can figure anything out together at The Soil Factory.”
March 8-15th Curator Milan Taylor and artists Mia Brown-Seguin, Tim Green, Eli Newell, and Bradley Verhelle have installed their exhibition in The Soil Factory warehouse. In Small Things Forgotten will be on view with a reception and artist talk March 15th (Friday) 6:00pm – 8:00pm.
In Small Things Forgotten is an exploration of art and archaeology through elements of the natural world and how humans mold them. The multidisciplinary exhibition encourages audience participation with many of the displays and invites questions about scale, influence, and care. Featuring work from Cornell students in fine arts, soil sciences, archaeology, and environmental science programs.
March 11th-16th – The Soil Factory welcomes our next Artist-in-Residence, Maria Mironova, who says: “Hello, I’m Masha. I mainly work with photography and alternative photographic processes. I am interested in fragmenting certain images to expose a larger picture, one that is hiding in separate pieces of film.” She’ll be discovering what fragmented images may lurk in the warehouse and beyond!
February 24th (Saturday) 4pm – 6pm: Artist in Residence Debora Faccion Grodzki will present I Bring You Flowers, an exhibition to conclude her residency at The Soil Factory.
From our artist in residence Debora Faccion Grodzki
This week, I’ll be meeting every day with folks who scheduled with me, and everyone is welcome to help me spread as much casein paint as possible on a large canvas that I’ll be placing inside the warehouse. On Thursday, in particular, I’ll meet with Marisa Mandabach, who, like me, is an art historian + painter + mother of a little one living in Ithaca. Marisa proposes that we do a 45-minute workshop about baroque European “forest floor” paintings. She wrote: “Flourishing in the second half of the seventeenth century, such images offered viewers a transgressive glimpse into nature’s secrets: the murky, steamy, mossy world of the understory. This reflected the new visual culture of microscopy, which revealed the life forces hidden in materia, a whole universe in a handful of mud. In a world where the “artist” had been defined as an essentially masculine figure—heroically infusing dead materials with life—forest floor paintings also represented an alternative, more maternal model of artistry aligned with the creativity of mother nature. The genre was taken up by many women painters whose works we will discuss.” After her workshop, if there is interest, I can lead an intuitive drawing session to experiment with creating images of plants that go beyond the botanical or the microscopic “figurative.”
Marisa and I will meet on Thursday February 15 from 10:30 AM – 12 PM, and we hope other folks can meet with us, too. Please let me know if you are available that day and time and if you would feel like joining us!
Saturday, February 17th, between 4 and 6 PM, another local mother, Stephany Item, will lead an Embodiment Movement Session. Please bring a yoga mat if you have one. We will welcome children of every age with their caregivers! There is one artwork to do collectively during this session, and the canvas will continue to be available for some free painting, too! Also, a few local mothers who are visual artists will bring their work to show at the event.
February 18 (Sunday), from 1 – 4pm
Make Mends Meet – this week is gathering at a different time, combined with the Ithaca Barter Market into one huge event!
February 18 (Sunday), from 1 – 4pm; The Ithaca Barter Market & Make Mends Meet
Lots of music, broom making, Make Mends Meet, embroidery, and low-tek mushroom cultivation. This is one day you don’t want to miss!
TSF member Allison Desario is hosting a barter market at The Soil Factory and everyone is invited! She explains;
“The Barter Market is a place where we can build community connections while divesting from the monetary system. It’s a cross between a farmers market, an artists market, and a skill share gathering where trading items, talent, food, medicine, etc. is more valuable than cash. Cash offers won’t be turned away but this is a chance to figure out what you can offer as a community member! Part of the goal for organizing these is an opportunity for people to continue bartering outside of the market, as well.
Some examples? Trading childcare for a haircut, gutter cleaning for clothes tailoring, massage sessions for a vegetable csa, or any other ideas you might have. Skill share workshop presenters and musicians are offering their wisdom and talent throughout the day, we also want to make sure they get barter offers for their time! If this sounds intriguing, come to The Soil Factory with your goods, your skills, and an open mind. We’ll have some kids toys for the little ones.
