The Gatherade Stand @ KSMoCA
Workshops, participatory installations, print at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School in Portland, OR during an artist residency at King School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA)
~ Part of Assembly, an annual social practice art conference at KSMoCA; exhibited at the Portland Building for ‘KSMoCA: Present Days’ (2022); Parallax Art Center for ‘Making Earth Cool Residency’ (2022); In permanent collection at KSMoCA, Portland, OR
~Mentioned in RACC; in SOFA Journal Come Together in Joy; in I See What You See (KSMoCA)
Gili Rappaport with Alexis Johnson and students: Aden, Ana, Bella, Caeden, Caterina, Chanel, Fatina, Matthew, Mo, Penelope, Rehema, Romelia, Romero, Serena, Taylor, Timmy, Zayair
April 26—June 6, 2022, 2023
Set at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School in NE Portland, "The Gatherade Stand" is a collaborative art project that engaged fifth-grade students in a hands-on exploration of the wild nettle plant. Over three months, I partnered with teacher Alexis Johnson and her class of 17 students to create nettle soda, served on the playground and in the library.
Through this sensory experience, students learned about local flora, designed labels for their sodas in collaboration with Duality Brewing, and shared their creations with peers, fostering community connections. Inspired by pop artist Sister Corita Kent, I designed signage that transformed branding into an educational tool, reflecting our relationship with nature.
The project also includes "The Nettle Flight," a print featuring student artwork and poetry now housed in the King School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA). In a time of social and environmental urgency, "The Gatherade Stand" highlights the potential of public education to cultivate belonging and a deeper connection to the land.
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Photos: Harvee Bird, Bex Copper, Laura Glazer, and Gilian Rappaport
*Cans donated to Trash for Peace, a Portland-based environmental justice organization building innovative waste reduction and recycling systems and offering youth sustainability education.
Special thanks to Alexis Johnson, Amanda Lareeva, Aggy Hosey, Lisa Jarrett, Michael Bernard Stevenson, Harrell Fletcher, Lucia Monge, LillyAnne Pham, Diana Cuertas, Mo Geiger, Laura Glazer, Luz Blumenthal, Laura Glazer, Kye Grant, DJ Tikka Masala, and Hilary Rappaport. I sourced most materials from SCRAP, a creative reuse center selling donated art supplies in Portland, Oregon.
Co-directors, KSMoCA: Lisa Jarrett, Harrell Fletcher