Sowing Desire

At the recommendation of curator Noah Smalls, the Fresh Grocer decided to create an Ode to West Philadelphia, which honors the women artists who live, work, and shop there; the long history of community gardens; and the importance of fresh food in our lives. Using shared contacts in West Philly, Mural Arts enlisted three artists from Women Holler to create Sowing Desire, a mural that describes their experiences growing up and living in West Philadelphia. The three visual artists were Wanda Payne as the lead and Sheena Garcia and Pauline Houston McCall as collaborators. The poets were a mother and daughter team – Octavia McBride Ahebe and her daughter Sojourner Ahebe. The mural was celebrated at the dedication with music, drumming, and live poetry by Sistahs Laying Down Hands Collective.