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