In 2014, I conducted a series of workshops at the Madison Children’s Museum over the course of a few weeks. Kids and families were invited to plant beans and grass in CD cases and either bring the cases with them or leave them at the museum, where they were installed on large windows in the art classroom.
The project surprised me in a few ways. I originally planned for a new set of beans to be planted each week, with the oldest plants on the bottom row. The beans were older seeds with a lower germination rate than I anticipated and the beans grew at more varying rates than I anticipated. However, while the project did not stick to the aesthetic I had in mind, I chose to leave the plants based on date, rather than rearrange based on size. It felt more true to the project to allow the plants to grow (or not grow) at their own rate.
The project surprised me in a few ways. I originally planned for a new set of beans to be planted each week, with the oldest plants on the bottom row. The beans were older seeds with a lower germination rate than I anticipated and the beans grew at more varying rates than I anticipated. However, while the project did not stick to the aesthetic I had in mind, I chose to leave the plants based on date, rather than rearrange based on size. It felt more true to the project to allow the plants to grow (or not grow) at their own rate.
