The Original Fig is an ongoing, site-responsive artwork that explores the fig as a locus for ecological care, bodily reclamation, and community ritual. Initiated through connection with an Adriatic fig tree in the yard of neighbor and artist Linda Rossi, the project subverts mythologies that historically associate the fig with shame (i.e. The Garden of Eden), recasting it as a symbol of eroticism, abundance, and resilience.

Across three distinct iterations, the project spans sensory immersive environments, lost-wax bronze casting, and decentralized neighborhood rituals.

Project Iterations

The Original Fig I & II, Sensorium & Accumulation

PSU School of Art & Design & AB Gallery (2022–2023)

• The Original Fig I (Dec 2022): Transformed a PSU classroom into a sensory environment blanketing the floor with aromatic drying fig leaves under hanging plaster multiples. Over 100 participants engaged in stomping, touching, and reclaiming space through scent and play.

• The Original Fig II (Fall 2023): Curated by Steve Brown (Helen’s Costume) at AB Gallery, featuring accumulation sculptures of painted plaster figs hung from golden hooks, drawing inspiration from Eva Hesse to explore the intersection of abstraction, desire, and flora.

The Original Fig III, Tree Canopy Rituals & Environmental Justice

Decentralized Portland Neighborhoods (2024–2026)

Supported by a $5,000 RACC Portland Arts Project Grant, the third installment shifted into decentralized public ecology:

• Site-Based Tree Rituals: Utilizing Portland Parks & Recreation’s Street Tree Inventory database, Rappaport facilitated 11 intimate, outdoor public gatherings beneath fig trees in Priority 1 canopy-deficient neighborhoods (including Cully, St. Johns, Humboldt, and Irvington). Draws on Ashkenazi Jewish folk healing traditions, participants shared the first fruit of the season, made health wishes, and collected decaying leaf artifacts.

• Bronze Casting & Artifact Archive: In collaboration with the PSU COTA Workshop (Emma Duehr), collected site artifacts were cast into 11 lost-wax bronze sculptures, later exhibited in the group show Subject: at Astoria Visual Arts. Upcycled acrylic keychains containing dried fig leaves were also created and gifted to participants.

• Community Engagement: Partnered with Portland Parks & Rec Botanic Specialist Biz Miller for a tree inventory workshop in Chapman Square.

• Participant Reflections:

  • "Blessed be the FIRST FRUIT to turn towards the SEASON of HARVEST & ABUNDANCE."

    — Participant Wish (Erika), Site Gathering

  • "May all who are ailing have comfort & reprieve. May my strength grow so that I can hold."

    — Participant Wish (Michael), Site Gathering

  • "Source o' Life, encourage me to grow & create & relate in ways that celebrate & encourage your spirit. May my words + actions + thoughts be a robust & sweet shelter in which life's weather can be endured & adored."

    — Participant Wish (Jon), Site Gathering

Press, Publications & Grants

• Grant Award: RACC Portland Arts Project Grant (2024–2026)

• Institutional Support: Portland Parks & Recreation, PSU College of the Arts, Artists Commit, 350PDX

• Exhibitions & Features: Open Studios at PSU, AB Gallery, Astoria Visual Arts

• Lead Artist: Gili Rappaport

• Key Collaborators: Biz Miller (Portland Parks & Recreation), Emma Duehr (PSU COTA Workshop), Steve Brown (Helen's Costume)

• Contributing Artists & Media: Linda Rossi, Joaquin Golez, urks io, Katie Gemmill

• Participants: John Niekrasz, Patricia Vazquez-Gomez, Carly Thomasset, Cory Knoblauch, Gina Roberti, Ari Ettinger, Jess Siegel, Kye Grant, Ashley Yang-Thompson, Shelbie Loomis, Harvee Bird, Hazel Andersen, Salty Xie Jie, Shawn Creeden, Dan Gleason, Erika Callahan, Seymore Gulls

• Documentation: Photos by Harvee Bird, Gili Rappaport, Gala Gage, Luz Blumenfeld, Michael Bernard Stevenson; Video by Shelbie Loomis