Farm Tools Project Installation at the Emery Community Arts Center at University of Maine Farmington
The Farm Tools Project is a visual exploration of the use of hand tools on small Maine farms and the exchanges that take place between farmers and the land. Tools are embedded with their own histories and stories, extensions of ourselves and partners in our complicated relationships with the world.
Throughout the past year, artist Michel Droge and archaeologist Sarah Loftus traveled to farms around the state making cyanotypes (a 19th century form of photography) of tools with people in their fields, barns and greenhouses. They spoke with farmers about the significance of the tools they use, their connection to the land, and the challenges small farms face in today's environment.
50% of sales from this project go to Real Farmer Care which raises funds for self-care for farmers who need it @realfarmercare.
The Farm Tools Project is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission and by the Kindling Fund, a grant program administered by SPACE as part of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regranting Program.
