This show, re:seed, comes in the wake of a great flood. It grows out of what existed before, from what has been swept away and what has been left behind, and grows into what is yet to come and what could be. It is about growing possibilities, sending down new roots, and healing ourselves and the spaces around us.

Re:seed will work to identify areas -- touched or untouched by floodwater -- in need of remediation, collective care and community transformation through the healing power of plants.

An interactive website will point out sites in need of planting. Visitors to the website and to the exhibition will be able to suggest additional sites, and to track the growth of plants at the sites through collectively-pooled photo sets and online maps. Visitors will have the option of directly participating in the re:seeding effort by taking seedballs with them and scattering them where they are needed.

A series of workshops (including one the evening of the exhibition opening) will share the simple and effective technique of making seedballs, which will then be distributed to visitors to the show and used to re:seed Nashville. Seedballs are "a small universe in themselves", to quote farmer / philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka -- small models of the living world, made of compost, clay and whatever seeds fit inside. They can be tossed on the ground and left to germinate when and where time and conditions are right. Seedballs can be made with any type of seed, but we will focus on phytoremediating plants that can help to repair soils contaminated with heavy metals and organic pollutants, green cover crops that will help to restore nutrients to the soil, and native plants that heal, either through medicinal properties or aesthetic beauty.

At locations physically impacted by floodwaters, baseline levels of heavy metals and organic pollutants will be assessed through soil samples. At the end of this year's growing season, phytoremediating plants will be collected for treatment and analysis, and additional soil samples will be taken to determine the level of soil remediation. This data will be made available to provide anecdotal evidence for the successful use of phytoremediation.

A mid-June event will allow participants to connect physically with their city through a bike pilgrimage to each of the re:seed sites. Additional seedballs will be scattered at each location at this time.