Soul of the Soil

It is the ground beneath our feet, remnant of deep time, witness to and holder of history, the material of rooting, rotting and growing. Soil is life giving, generative, and resilient – despite the forces of human harm and colonial concepts of ownership. And when we recognize the importance of soil as a bearer of culture, the science morphs into poetry and metaphor.

Soul of the Soil brings together visual artists, poets, storytellers, growers, activists, and land stewards to explore their connections to place, land, and memory. More than creative musings on dirt, the exhibition is a vesselforremembrance,repairandreimagination. Theexhibitionalsorecognizeseffortsinthecommunity to bring healing in partnership with the soil itself, specifically the work of 904WARD and the Jacksonville Community Remembrance Project through soil collections that shine a light on the truth of racial terror lynchings in our community.

As you move through the galleries you will encounter photographs, oral histories, sculpture installations, films, poems, and sacred objects. We hope you will linger with the images and words on the walls, but also participate in the interactive space where you can create with materials of the land or grab a book and stay awhile. Our hope is that the entire space serves as an invitation for all of us to tap into the Soul of the Soil.

At Yellow House the soul of the soil is more than a single exhibition or season of programs. It is a vessel for our efforts around food sovereignty, environmental stewardship, racial reckoning, and creative growth. The soul of the soil is found beneath the mighty oak on our front lawn with her branches providing shelter to the neighborhood. It lives in the compost piles and vegetable gardens that feed our neighbors and in the mutual aid efforts that bring abundance to the Community Cart from farms and gardens throughout our city. If you are interested in engaging in or supporting our Mutual Aid efforts, let us know.

The stories rooted in soil have been present in exhibitions at Yellow House over many years – too many examples to layer into your experience here today. This is an ongoing exploration and we are deeply appreciative for all of our co-conspirators in the work of tending, creating, caring, and building. We are especially grateful to Kelly Pope, co-curator of this exhibition, for their tenacious desire to bring this current experience to fruition. And to all the volunteers, visitors, and supporters who continue to cultivate community in this place – thank you.

Featured artists:

Yvette Angelique | Noelle Barber | Deshonna Buchanan | Sarah Crooks | Doug Eng | Tim Gilmore | Nance Klehm | Joshua Parks | Kelly Pope | Ripley Selhorst | Eve Wilson | Hahau Yisrael