Ron Finley

The Ron Finley Project’s Gangsta Garden features fruit trees and edible plants, a composition proving Mother Nature to be the most prolific artist of all. The installation is the brainchild of horticulturalist/artivist Ron Finley, a self-described “Gangsta Gardener” who plants gardens in public spaces around the city of Los Angeles as an act of resistance and empowerment. Equating gardening with graffiti, Finley transforms unused urban spaces into places of community and congregation. The “Renegade Gardener” unknowingly started a revolution by planting organic vegetables in the parkway in front of his home. Finley’s TED Talk on guerilla gardening in South Central L.A. enjoys over 3 million views to date, and thanks to his petitioning, Los Angeles has since legalized curbside gardens for community use. Finley now travels the world speaking to international communities and hosting workshops on how to take back the soil. Pots and containers designed by Modernica, California’s favorite midcentury modern furniture manufacturer.

BEYOND THE STREETS Los Angeles, 2018. Photo by Beau Roulette.

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