“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see,” said Edgar Degas, a 19th-century French impressionist painter and sculptor. Jack’s Solar Garden plans to use art to share the benefits of growing crops around its solar panels.
Jack’s Solar Garden is located just outside Longmont along 95th Street. The farm has been in Byron Kominek’s family since 1972, purchased by his grandfather, Jack. As an adult, Kominek wanted to make the most of the land and discovered “solar energy and how agriculture can be integrated within a solar array,” according to the website.
In 2020, Jack’s Solar Garden looked to more creative ways to educate the surrounding community about the work being done. The farm began its Artist on the Farm program, which supports a local artist who will “showcase what our work means to the community and engage the community on the farm through their art,” according to a news release from Jack’s Solar Garden.
The inaugural year Rachael Scala repurposed farm materials in her art project and created a community day. The following year, Michelle Bernier brought educational dance workshops to the farm and filmed professional dancers on sight.
Jack’s Solar Garden is open to creative ideas from the artist community and is now accepting applications to be the next Artist on the Farm. The deadline for submission is March 15 and the winning artist will be announced on April 4.
The winning artist will receive $500 at the beginning of the program for materials and other costs associated with bringing their art to the farm, according to the news release. An additional $500 will be handed out at the conclusion of the project in October.
Artists are asked to provide a written statement of the artist’s experience, the style of proposed art and information about how the artist plans to engage the community. A portfolio is also requested. Artists must reside in Boulder County. Applications can be submitted to Komienek at [email protected].