2019 Annual Harvest Celebration at The Commons

On Saturday, September 27, Sweet Water Foundation hosted the 2019 Annual Harvest Celebration at The Commons, welcoming more than 250 guests from near and far. Harvest Celebration activities centered around the R-N-D Park, a new community park SWF activated this summer on 5-contiguous parcels of vacant land at The Commons. This year’s celebration featured a farmers’ market, arts + crafts activities, screen printing, food, music, and a marketplace featuring local vendors selling handmade goods, art, and natural products. Attendees also engaged in guided tours of The Commons to learn more about SWF’s work and see, firsthand, each of the projects completed throughout the summer. 

The Harvest Celebration also served as the official opening of [Re]Construction House, a formerly abandoned home located at 5731 S. Lafayette Street. [Re]Construction House represents the physical manifestation of SWF’s practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development applied to the rehabilitation of an abandoned home. The project was intentionally designed to reflect an inclusive, art-inspired, and educational approach to home rehabilitation; creating an aesthetic of inclusion and remembering married to the concepts of [re]purposing, [re]imagining, and [re]storying. 

SWF’s Harvest Celebration was immediately followed by a performance in the Thought Barn for the Hyde Park Jazz Festival. Onye Ozuzu and Project Tool Dancers were joined Simon Rouby, a visual artist from France who displayed video visuals on the walls of the Thought Barn during the performance, and Sound Designer, Damon Locks, who activated the space with sound. More than 100 guests took a bus to The Commons from the Hyde Park Jazz Festival’s main area to watch the performance and were moved and inspired.

Sweet Water Foundation would like to thank the volunteers, supporters, staff, performers, vendors, and others who helped to make the Harvest Celebration a success!