Coming Oct 5th: Urban Forage in Chicago's Gold Coast

Friday night I helped our friend Nance Klehm process about 75 pounds of pears--that she had foraged the day before--into cider.  I don't think you'll take home anywhere near what I did after my work, but thought our readers would like to know about an urban forage that Nance is leading on October 5th from 5-7pm, starting at the Graham Foundation, 4 West Burton Place, in Chicago.  I've lived here over 20 years and until prompted by this event, had no idea that Burton Place is a tiny little street near State and North Avenues, just south of Lincoln Park.

It's being sponsored by The Graham Foundation, who is paying Nance for her time, making it free for the public.  Space is limited and you'll need to register by following this link.

On Tuesday, October 5, 2010, Nance Klehm will lead a small group on a two hour Urbanforage of Chicago’s Gold Coast. On this informal guided walk throughthe spontaneous and cultivated vegetation of the urbanscape, participants will learn to identify plants, hear their botanical histories and stories of their use by animals and humans, and share antidotes of specific experiences with these plants.The Urbanforage will begin in the garden of the Graham Foundation’s Madlener House, where participants are invited to sample an herbal beverage made by the artist. Space is limited, reservations are required.

Nance Klehm began leading Urbanforages in 2006 in suburbs and cities including; Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, New York and Mexico City.
She is an ecological systems designer, landscaper, horticultural consultant, permacultural grower, consultant, speaker, and teacher. She is respected internationally for her work on land politics and growing for fertility. She has lectured at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the University of Cincinnati, and the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. She has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and Dartington College in the United Kingdom. She writes a regular column for Arthur magazine and was included in the books Radical Homemakers (by Shannon Hayes), Participatory Autonomy (edited by Rick Gribenas), and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements (by Sandor Katz).

Nance Klehm’s work as an urban forager was featured in the exhibition, Actions: What You Can Do With the City, which was on view at the Graham Foundation October 16, 2009 – March 13, 2010. http://cca-actions.org/

This event is presented in conjunction with Chicago Artist’s Month.