Mei Tao, Photographer
This summer, Good Works partnered with Harlem Grown and The Art of Care for a three-part workshop bringing 75 Harlem campers into the garden as artists, scientists, and storytellers.
Led by Laird and Good Company Director and Photographer Mei Tao, artist Cameron Russell, and the Good Works team, the program used photography, interpretive play, craft, and cyanotype printing to help children explore what they'd learned over the summer. Across three age groups, campers investigated real environmental questions—pollinators and birds, the needs of a growing seedling, and the heat of an urban block—then translated those lessons into portraits, handmade props, and sun-printed bandanas to take home.
The sessions unfolded over three weeks: portraits and interpretive play in late July (with a visit from Hila the Earth), cyanotype bandana workshops in early August, and a final showcase on August 14, when the garden itself became a gallery. Bandanas and portraits hung on clotheslines throughout the space for a community exhibition and story walk.
Congratulations to Harlem Grown, The Art of Care, and every camper who made this summer's garden come alive.
Learn more about Good Works here.
"Nature can be an equalizer, devoid of economics. What a big idea for a city kid: to know they can grow their own food, be in a space where they are considered, cared for."
— Mei Tao, Photographer