Gill Tract Botanical Portrait -- by Yasmin Abu Hamad (student intern)

Gill Tract Botanical Portrait by Yasmin Abu Hamad

I’ve been creating Botanical Portraits this semester for a project I was doing for my agroecology class which explores how the cultural identity of farmers and gardeners shapes the identity of the land they steward. I felt inspired to create my own Botanical Portrait based on my experience at the Gill Tract Community Farm. The portrait is composed of photographs I’ve taken of plants around the farm that left an impression on me. While on the farm I’ve connected with various plants through directly caring for them, learning about them from other farmers, or sitting with them while I wander through the field. I was encouraged by Traver to ‘get lost’ on the farm which became a ritual because I was able to connect with the life on the land in new ways. Although the plants are not explicitly related to my cultural identity, I’ve come to understand that identity is a dynamic element of my life experience that changes as I move through different environments.

Written by Yasmin Abu Hamad, student intern at Gill Tract Farm