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Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: The Garden

South Central’s largest community garden grows vegetables — and controversies

A A A Comments By D.L. Groover Thursday, Jun 25 2009

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The most fruitful gardens are filled with worms and shit. After the deadly 1992 L.A. riots, known ever after as the “Rodney King” riots, a 14-acre plot of land at the intersection of 41st and Alameda, smack in the heart of South Central, was miraculously transformed into a community garden. Despite the healing that occurred between rival Hispanic and African-American communities in the years when the garden was successfully tended, the land value of such a huge hunk of inner-city real estate soared exponentially and brought all manner of voracious insects — political opportunists, celebrity do-gooders, community activists — to wreck and devour the crops. But after 12 years, the farmers won’t leave. Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s 2008 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary, The Garden, is a sad little piece of Americana, filled with mystery, revenge, backroom dealings and flippant lawsuits. All this garden needs is an apple tree; there are already plenty of snakes. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit www.mfah.org. $6 to $7.
Fri., June 26, 7 p.m.; Sat., June 27, 7 p.m.; Sun., June 28, 5 p.m., 2009