Community Art Practice: Bonnie Sherk

A Living Library/A.L.L. is a comprehensive community educational art project that considers the history of a site, it's current uses, and it's potentiality as a learning environment. Using archived city planning maps to locate natural creeks covered by development, Sherk works with architects, labourers, educators, students, and gardeners to break up concrete and build gardens that function as living libraries to facilitate relational education about biodiversity, biology, literature, and social sustainability through experience.
A.L.L. is the continuation of work Sherk began with Crossroads Community, or The Farm in the 70's. It is linked with 60's/70's "back to the land" ideologies that have been mainstreamed as 'eco-living' and 'going green' as part of the current environmental movement. Sherk uses grassroots organizational strategies and takes advantage of the growing interest in sustainable agriculture.
Where some artists, Germaine Koh for example, are bringing nature to the gallery to shift society's perception of space, Sherk has stuck to her guns for 40 years now on her community based art practice. She has paved the way for artists such as award winner Amy Franceschini and her Future Farmers collaboration.