Reviews
“Delightful…a valuable resource for those considering implementing a similar project.”
– Dwain Thomas, School Library Journal
School Library Journal
January 2012
This delightful program examines a number of community gardens in Washington, DC, in areas where you might least expect to find them. Empty lots have been transformed into green spaces by a diverse group of gardeners of all ages, races, and backgrounds. Some work the gardens in order to raise fresh produce for themselves and others in these struggling neighborhoods, while others tend them to help alleviate everyday stress as well as to provide a link between the environment and the realities of urban life for their children. The heart of the program features these individuals explaining their motivations, including some touching stories of the reaction of special needs children to their garden encounters. The nicely-paced production includes a noteworthy history of public gardens dating back to the first gardens planted in Detroit during the1893 depression through the war gardens of both World Wars and the Great Depression up to the natural/organic garden movement beginning in the 1960s through today. It utilizes a rich diversity of historic black-and-white stills and live-action footage as well as classic wartime posters. There’s also a bonus section on the development of a public park and garden complex in DC. Chapter selection is optional. This refreshing program might have a limited audience, but it well serves this special interest group and could be a valuable resource for those considering implementing a similar project.
– Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL
“Highly recommended.”
– F. Gardner, Video Librarian
Video Librarian
March-April 2012
Cintia Cabib’s documentary examines the renewed interest in community gardens, with a focus on several such enterprises in Washington, DC. As places where people come together to cultivate food and friendships, each locale has its own personality. One garden in an economically struggling area is set up to trade produce for labor; another at a school provides scents to savor and textures to touch to help educate disabled children. Elsewhere, neighbors band together to transform a forgotten lot into a productive plot; young people’s effort on the grounds of the National Arboretum brings families together for Saturday work parties; and in a section of Rock Creek Park, urban dwellers find relief from the condo lifestyle by literally getting their hands dirty. The narration-less film draws on the comments of a wide range of articulate gardeners, including children. Reflecting the fact that the movement has enjoyed resurgences at various times in the past, Cabib presents a history via old photos and some interesting text facts: in 1906, there were 76,000 school gardens throughout the U.S.; by 1918, 5 million gardens were helping on the home front during World War I; and in 1944, 40 percent of the nation’s produce came from victory gardens. DVD extras include the bonus featurette A Garden Grows at 13th and C Streets, which relates how committed community members turned a sea of asphalt into a park with space for community gardening. Highly recommended.
– F. Gardner
“’A Community of Gardeners’ makes an excellent case for the value of community garden projects by showing their impact in several urban settings.”
– Jessica Isler, Educational Media Reviews Online
Educational Media Reviews Online
March 2012
A Community of Gardeners makes an excellent case for the value of community garden projects by showing their impact in several urban settings. While the gardens profiled each have different goals and systems of administration (some are tended communally while others are tended by individuals, etc.) it is clear that community gardens share an ability to fulfill important needs for both the individuals and the communities involved. Providing access to fresh, healthy food, increasing self-sufficiency, improving urban aesthetics, and strengthening communities by enabling connections across diverse socio-economic groups were just a few of the benefits highlighted. It is easy to finish A Community of Gardeners convinced of the infinite potential benefits (and no potential downsides) from community gardening. In addition, the film provides a window to the origin of community gardens, showing different historical incarnations; from the beginning of the school garden movement to the war gardens of the 20th century, and beyond. This film is recommended for general audiences, and could be a useful resource for communities considering a garden project, or for those interested in learning about community garden volunteer opportunities.
– Jessica Isler
“Informative and motivating, this well-organized program may inspire others to undertake similar endeavors in their communities.”
– Nancy McCray, Booklist
Booklist
December 2011
This engrossing documentary visits seven Washington, D.C., community gardens to explore the roles of urban gardens (food sources, outdoor classrooms, social gathering places, areas of beauty) and tell the stories of the gardeners, all of whom inspire us to get our hands dirty and plant. Aerial views highlight neatly laid-out beds, and close-up shots detail vegetable, herb, and flowering plants. In addition to offering information on garden management (watering, weeding, waiting lists), the presentation reveals the caring relationships between the growers. In one spot, a group is seen harvesting vegetables and making three scrumptious-looking dishes. Other organizations contribute their bounty to needy families. Informative and motivating, this well-organized program may inspire others to undertake similar endeavors in their communities. Includes a bonus film, A Garden Grows at 13th and C Streets, highlighting how residents and government officials turned a vacant lot into a community park and garden.
– Nancy McCray
“A highlight is how the history of community gardens is presented in ways that are relevant to social science, geography, civic studies and other curricular subjects. Sharing this documentary with students fourteen years and older will help inspire a can-do attitude, positive spirit, and a sense of responsibility towards their communities.”
– Green Teacher Magazine
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