Artist Residency
General Economy Exquisite Exchange (G.E.E.E.)
April 8, 2011 - Ongoing
General Economy Exquisite Exchange (GEEE) is a campaign produced by the Cream Co. arts organization promoting a general economy based on neighborly trade and exchange. Originally produced in 2010, GEEE currently operates out of the Hyde Park Art Center as Resident Artists. In the form of Garden Exchange, Rooftop Tomato Garden and Seed Library, GEEE demonstrates how local abundance supports an economy open to more than just currency.
Residency Project
From April to September of 2011, General Economy, Exquisite Exchange (GEEE) introduces a post-retail museum shop and rooftop tomato garden at the Art Center where neighborly value has become the operative currency and creative bartering has become the dominant mode of exchange. GEEE brings to life a local culture sustained by the give and take of neighborly ritual, by the surplus of seasonal gardens and local kitchens, and by the exploration of post-retail systems of value.
GEEE provides a site for the exchange of homespun, indoor and outdoor gardening materials (seeds, trellises, houseplants, &c.); immaterial support (dialogue, advice, recipes); inanimate pleasures (collectibles, homemade favorites, books). Knowledge might be exchanged for seedlings, and seeds for a good story, zinnias might be exchanged for tomatoes, and a glazed pot for some cucumbers or for a rusty but still worthy trowel. Visitors bring anything from plants, home-made gifts, re-gifts, gardening books and cookbooks, recipes, to anything else they would be willing to share with a neighbor. Available in April was an evolving array of plants and neighborly gifts including seeds, seedlings, houseplants, herbs, Amish Friendship Bread starter-kits and homemade tomato soup, and in May and June, shrubs, perennials, annuals and herbs were on offer. In August and September, weather-permitting, black cherry tomatoes are ripe for the picking. Through this project, GEEE explores how local abundance can support a general economy.
