Sustainable Agriculture to a Wider Audience:  Developing a Model Project with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Clark County Ohio

This project addressed the long-term outcome of bringing the story of sustainable agriculture to wider audiences of both farm and non-farm backgrounds.  The goal was accomplished through collaboration between agriculture and the arts professionals employing the unique communication capabilities of music combined with photography to promote sustainable agriculture. The effort emphasized the themes of the best in agricultural practices, ecology and esthetics of the land, and farming as a culture and way of life.

Two photo-choreographed productions were performed live by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and had working titles of “Our Fields, Farms, and Families” describing the Food and Agricultural System of Clark County, Ohio and a “Kids, Cameras, and Classics” featuring the images submitted by 4-H and FFA members and other youth related to a local theme of food, agriculture, and the environment.

The performance debuted in 2005 and the production has been repeated across Ohio and other Midwest locations. A second set of outcomes exists at a more personal level among the collaborators of this project. This project engages audiences from two different worlds within a community to explore the meaning of sustainable agriculture.

Contact Bob Barger, bargar.2@osu.edu, or Denny Hall, hall.16@osu.edu , for more information.