Alexander Jarman and Savannah Jarman’s latest work, Picnic, is meant to facilitate dialogue among citizens on San Diego's largest picnic blanket. The piece consists exclusively of 1,000 feet of found fabric from local neighborhoods, and is only activated by the participation of residents when they come together to communally dine.  A second component of the work, a ten foot high tree made from locally collected cardboard, provided another platform for the public to voice their opinions and views. 

The launch of the Picnic Project

On September 4, 2011, the community was given the opportunity to participate in this performative work just by bringing a lunch to the Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair.  From 12-3pm on a Sunday afternoon, the artists provided shady places to relax and engage in dialogue about the civic future of San Diego.   Specifically, the artists and volunteers asked participants “What are the the biggest things we need to maintain or change to move our city forward in the next 50 years?”  The gathered responses and recorded dialogue provide a portrait of a diverse community with many needs.  All of the compiled information was shared with The San Diego Foundation as part of their 50 year strategic planning initiative.  Just as the people of San Diego in a sense made the picnic blanket (as it was their discarded fabric that was used in the blanket’s construction) so too could the conversation generated upon it hopefully benefit their future.

More information on this work can be found at:

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/sep/02/two-art-labs-examined-picnic-and-visible/

http://artsandiego-fair.com/art_labs/18_picnic.html

The continuation of the Picnic Project

The Picnic Project will continue by organizing more picnics to take place in different neighborhoods across the region.  Sometimes these picnics will take place in conjunction with other events, and sometimes they will be stand alone picnics, but they will always be made in the effort to use art as a means of social and civic engagement.

If you have an idea for the picnic blanket, feel free to contact us.  If you want to sign up to receive email updates about when and where future picnics will take place, also feel free to contact us.