Adam Purple, the environmentalist and urban gardening pioneer, died on Sept. 14 of an apparent heart attack. He was 84.
Purple — born David Wilkie in Independence, Mo. — garnered international attention in the mid-1980s when he battled the city over a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden he created amid the ruins of the Lower East Side. (The New York Times has a feature obituary here.)
Starting tomorrow (Saturday), the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS), Time's Up! and members of La Plaza Cultural are joining forces to honor Purple with simultaneous celebrations: a pop-up exhibit at MoRUS featuring photos, videos and memorabilia marking Purple's life and a mini-fair at La Plaza with performances, arts and crafts, and spoken word tributes, among other activities.
Here are details from the individual Facebook event pages …
La Plaza Cultural:
Tomorrow from 4-8 p.m., people are invited to speak and briefly share their memories of Purple and his legendary Garden of Eden. Everyone is encouraged to wear purple and to bring a white t-shirt to tie-dye. Angelica Kitchen will provide refreshments.
Find more details here. La Plaza Cultural is located on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street.
MoRUS:
For two weeks, the museum will host an exhibit remembering Purple. There will be photographs from the community, a film by Harvey Wang and articles about Adam's life and work. MoRUS will also be exhibiting the machine that created the purple footprints leading to his Garden of Eden and some of Adam's books and writing.
Find more details here. The exhibit will run through Oct. 10.
MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.
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There is also an online campaign underway to help with Adam's burial expenses. Find that information here.
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Photos via MoRUS/Facebook
Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Adam Purple
I only vaguely knew about this amazing man and his super cool concentric circle masterpiece, yet his story touches me deeply, largely because so few of us make contributions to the city that are felt in such a compelling way. I'm excited to see and learn more about him and his life, so thanks MoRUS. Let's celebrate Purple's life! My boyfriend does remember those purple footprints, though. What an amazing life. It's humbling and very sad that the city ruined all of his hard work.
ReplyDeletePlease thank CB3 for voting to destroy Adam Purple's life work - even though alternative plans were presented which would have allowed the garden to survive and housing to be built. Someone should research the vote on that issue and see who voted to support the destruction. You'd be surprised - the very people who cry most about gardens.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 11:57, Someone should research the vote? Why not you?
ReplyDeleteCB3 is only interested in protecting liquor licenses.
ReplyDeleteTo anonymous at 12:50 - I don't need to research the vote - I was there. You newbies need to go back and learn the real history. Learn how the vote gets lined up.
ReplyDeleteThe site voted on was for affordable housing as I recall. Not only do we have gardens like that anymore, we no longer have affordable housing being built.
ReplyDeleteAs I also recall Adam knew the garden was not permanent and didnt have much stake in institutionalizing it. It was all part of squat art.
ReplyDeleteNo, he wished for preservation of it, and people fought for it for some time, too, and there was an injunction ignored when it was bulldozed.
Anonymous at 7:26 - yes Adam and many others fought - that is when the purple footsteps appeared and there was a court case.
ReplyDeleteI repeat - there were alternate architectural renderings which showed how the same number of units could be constructed without destroying the garden - but the CB3 HPD funded cohorts - i.e. the 'housing non-profits' (whose staffs make profit salaries - not Dorothy Day) all fell in line for the vote (don't want to risk your funding do you?).
Look at the bunkers that were built there - no thought process involved.
As for not being permanent - neither were the Community Gardens - including Plaza Cultural.
Why bother observing court orders?
Anonymous 3:56 PM, OK, as part of my research, I will interview people, starting with you.
ReplyDeleteWho voted, and which way?
there was a real effort to save adam's garden. unfortunately it was obvious from the start that it was not going to be preserved.
ReplyDeletesame with the liz christie garden on bowery and houston. it's just a piece of what it was and a miracle that any of it remains.
you have to realize that market rate housing keeps the "important" people in power.
the history of low-income housing advocacy around here is a joke and the truth is hard to find.
talk is cheap.
Low-income housing is a function of the market economy. If there were a need for low-income housing, it would exist. There isn't a need because the market no longer requires the workers who once lived there. In time, they will not reproduce, and the need to house them will be gone.
ReplyDeleteBill the libertarian anarchist, and supporter of social Darwinism
ReplyDeletethough the 10:43 post elects to ignore realities of the lives of many, if not the majority of New Yorkers, interested parties'll be welcome at the pro-affordable housing and tenants' rights rally on City Hall's steps tomorrow morning at 11 am, where support for the introduction of new laws focussed on Department of Buildings reform will be demonstrated by assembled humans — come join Cooper Square Committee, Stand for Tenant Safety and the conscious community!