#sosGREENade S.O.S. Commanders are leading an all out offensive this spring on the many abandon lots, lonely tree pits and empty planters in our community. Our main weapon is the Seed Ball or Flower Bomb. For this green militia offensive we are recruiting you to be a part of the Sustainable Organic Stewardship (S.O.S) movement!

Unlike other militia offensives, planting wildflowers is helpful to everyone and harmful to no one! They are beautiful to look at, help clean and aerate the soil, great for the birds, bees and butterflies and offer a fresh perspective on our often under utilized landscape. WE ARE HERE TO RECRUIT YOU. TIME IS RUNNING OUT. EVERYONE MUST DO THEIR PART FOR OUR MOTHER EARTH. BEE STRONG.

After decades of secret beekeeping, city apiarists can finally harvest honey and pollinate their plants legally, because the bee ban has been lifted.Tthe city's Board of Health discussed the decades-old law, and decided that because bee stings in the city are relatively infrequent, it's safe to allow the keeping of a nonaggressive honeybees.

"If the bee disappeared off the face
of the earth, man would only have
four years left to live"

- Albert Einstein

#sosGREENade made with Malone Red clay.

GREENade made with Hugo Grey clay.

Flower Bombs/ Seed Balls Recipe

5 parts clay, 3 parts soil,
1 part native/regional wildflower seed.

Mix well with water, form balls or desired shapes
and leave to dry in the sun.

Throw them over fences, along roadsides and places
in need of color and restoration.

Bomb responsibly! Stay clear of parkland
and places that are maintained and landscaped.

Fun for all ages! Start your own flower bomb collective!
Spread love in your area!

May all beings be well.

As many of us know, Staten Island is home to many abandoned and neglected tracts of land. Much of this land has become over grown and forgotten. This spring, join us in a campaign to beautify these spaces and add color and life to our local landscape!

Flower Bombs or Seed balls are a mixture of Clay (5 parts) Soil/Compost (3 parts) and Native/Regional wildflower seeds
(1 part) They are rolled into balls and once dry, they can be planted into places in need of restoration and renewal. There will be a series of workshops where we will come together, make seed balls and discuss tactics for planting and creating a greener Staten Island! All the workshops are free of charge and materials will be provided. Attendees are welcome to bring their own red clay, compost or *native/regional wildflower seeds. People are also encouraged to hold their own workshops and seed ball collectives!

Saturday, March 13 3-6pm
15 Corson Ave, 2nd Floor, Staten Island, NY,
www.assemblyroomgallery.com

Saturday, March 20 2-6pm
ElectroSmog Festival:Urban Wilderness Action Center
540 W 21st St. New York, NY
www.eyebeam.org/events/electrosmog-festival-urban-wilderness-action-center

Sunday, March 28 1-5pm
Jay Weichun's backyard
49 Longview Road, Staten Island, NY

Saturday, April 10th (time-TBA)
Second Saturday's SOS Seed Ball Art Walk with Tattfoo Tan.
67 Monroe Ave, Staten Island, NY

Sunday, April 11th, 2pm (seed ball and seed paper workshop!)
Bridgette and Arthur's
78 Scribner Ave, Staten Island, NY

Saturday, April 24th
St.George Flower Fairies at St. George Day!
208 Bay Street, Staten Island, NY
www.etgstores.com/bookcafe/stgeorgeday.html

Please help us add more color to the North Shore of Staten Island this spring!

* to avoid introducing invasive species and disrupting habitats it is best to use native and regionally specific wildflower seeds.

We used North East Mix from Vermont Wildflower Farm.
Northeast Mix - Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower), Cheiranthus allionii (Siberian Wallflower), Ch. leucanthemum (Ox-eye Daisy), Ch. maximum (Shasta Daisy), Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance-Leaf Coreopsis), Coreopsis tinctoria (Plains Coreopsis), Cosmos sulphureus (Sulphur Cosmos), Cosmos bipinnatus (Wild Cosmos), Dalia Purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover), Delphinium consolida (Rocket Larkspur), Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William), Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower),
Eschscholzia californica (California Poppy), Gaillardia aristata (Blanket Flower), Gypsophila elegans (Baby's Breath), Helianthus annuus (Annual Sunflower), Hesperis matronalis (Dame's Rocket), Lavatera trimestris (Rose Mallow), Linum grandiflorum rubrum (Scarlet Flax), Linum perenne lewisii (Blue Flax), Lupinus perennis (Perennial Lupine), Nemophila menziesii (Baby Blue Eyes), Papaver rhoeas (Multi Poppy), Rudbeckia gloriosa (Gloriosa Daisy), Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan), Silene armeria (None-so-Pretty)

I'm here to recruit YOU.
Let's get your hands dirty
and report for duty

Saturday, April 10, 2010 at
15:00 hours at Camp Tattfoo,
67 Monroe Avenue,
Staten Island, NY 10301.

The mission includes some
digging, wildflower planting
and GREENade bombing.

Target area will be review at
the briefing. Wear your best
Camouflage outfit.

Targeted coordinates

Cartography of the bombing exersice.

March 8, 2010, survey empty lot on Victory Blvd. and Montgomery Ave.
April 10, 2010, GREENade thrown over fences.
July 1, 2010, overgrown with weeds but no wildflowers.

March 8, 2010, survey empty tree pit on Victory Blvd. and Murray Hulbert Ave.
April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, patches of greens but no wildflowers.

March 8, 2010, empty tree pit on Victory Blvd. and St. Marks Place.
April, 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.

July 1, 2010, wildflowers thrive here.

March 8, 2010, survey empty concrete planter at Borough Hall.
March 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, landscaped with potted flowers, no wildflower visible.

March 8, 2010, fencing at Bay Street Landing.
April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, no wildflower visible.

March 8, 2010, empty tree pit at Hyatt Street and St. Marks Place.
April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.

July 1, 2010, wildflowers thrive here.

March 8, 2010, survey empty planter at St. Marks Place.
April 9, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, site is boarded up and became construction site, no wildflower.

March 8, 2010, survey empty tree pit at St. Marks Place.
April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, patches of greens, but no wildflowers here.

March 8, 2010, artist's own garden.


April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, wildflowers thrive here.

March 8, 2010, survey of site on Corson Avenue and Sherman Avenue.

April 8, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, wildflowers thrive here.

March 8, 2010, survey of tree pit on Daniel Low Terrace and Corson Avenue.
April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, no wildflowers here.

March 8, 2010, survey tree pit on Monroe Avenue and Victory Boulevard.
April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, patches of greens but no wildflowers here.

August 30, 2010, wildflowers thrive here.

March 8, 2010, survey of tree pit on Victory Boulevard and St. Marks Place.
April 10, 2010, hand till and planted with wildflower seeds.
July 1, 2010, no wildflowers here.

Seedball workshop at Eyebeam's ElectroSmog Festival: Urban
Wilderness Action Center
Spreading the message and sharing the knowledge.

Jay Weichun at Eyebeam's ElectroSmog Festival:Urban Wilderness Action Center

Seedball workshop at The Greene Hill School in Brooklyn, New York

Seedball workshop at PS41, New York

Appreciation cards from the students of Greene Hill School in Brooklyn, New York

Marie Celeste
Thursday, May 12, 2011-Saturday, September 10, 2011

From May 12 – September 9, 2011, Artspace presents Marie Celeste, a thematic group exhibition that uses the recent environmental phenomenon of “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD) or “Mary Celeste Disorder,” in which bees mysteriously disappear from their hives, as a metaphor for environmental consciousness and an exploration of the ethical sublime in our post-industrial era.

Ranging from site-specific installations to painting and photography, the diverse works in this exhibition enter a broad, polyphonic discourse on contemporary art practice and the environment that has been ongoing since the 1970s. The eleven artists participating in the exhibition ask viewers to see and think about humankind’s relationship to science, and Nature—both as a physical environment and an idea. Their works probe the boundaries that encompass our moral and ethical obligations to care for our surroundings, now, and in the future, and make manifest the interconnectedness of ecology and technology in the 21st century. And, while the artists in Marie Celeste explore the conflicts between individual and collective actions, preservation and transformation, production and reclamation, and notions of disenchantment and optimism, their works are created from a deeply personal artistic practice that is grounded in the production of emotional affect rather than in the production of meaning.

Artists include: Erika Blumenfeld, Stephen Bush, Nick Lamia, Jason Middlebrook, Shari Mendelson, Mayumi Nishida, Jessica Schwind, Joseph Smolinksi, Eva Struble, Tattfoo Tan, Alison Williams.  Organized by Liza Statton.