The community space on Our Table Farm is an outdoor area in which there are four wooden posts strung together by lights and stacks of hay bails at the center. During the summer, tables are placed inside of the lighted area and a feast is served. And potentially a bonfire will be placed at the center to give it warmth and happy summer vibes. Even when visiting this farm on a cloudy day, this space is inviting and friendly. The wooden poles look soft and shiny and the lights dangle effortlessly between them. I can visualize the farm crew getting together in this space and enjoying the taste of their hard work and the beautiful space surrounding them. I would have liked to have seen this place in summer time, when the sky is blue and the sun is shining on the crops. From the community space you can see the main grocery store, a cute barn style building. You can also see the surrounding crops, large beautiful homes in the hills, and mountains in the distance. It seems like one of those spaces that would be on pinterest; it is picture perfect. My parents were married in the country and their reception was held in a barn. I never really understood why a couple would want this, but seeing a beautiful farm and appreciating the hard work allowed me to understand a little better. Working on a farm would be really vigorous, but rewarding work. My father was a wheat farmer most of his life, so I have gained a lot of respect for people that work on the land.
Surrounding the community space is land containing many differing types of vegetable crops. The kale crops particularly stood out me, looking like a sea of miniature palm trees. The purple cabbage looked like flowers beginning to blossom with each of their layers unfolding from the core. Two greenhouses are not located far from the community space. These buildings look like giant white marshmallows and inside of them are a variety of baby greens, the type of greens that you would eat in a typical salad. There was something really satisfying about walking through the greenhouse surrounded by all the lush greenery. I wonder how the workers on this farm have connected with nature and how they feel humans are a part of the environment. I hope to grow vegetables when I have my own house. Nothing to the extent of Our Table Farm, but maybe in a small garden. Seeing the farm rekindled my desire to grow vegetables.
Questions:
-Who designed the community space?
– What is the purpose of the space?
-Who gathers here?
-What does community mean to the crew at Our Table?
-When is it most commonly used? What time of day/season?
-How many resources used in creating the community space?
-How do the lights make this space better?
-What does this space bring to the farm? How does it benefit the farm?
-Why is the community space outdoors? What influenced this decision?
-How does the community space look in the summer?
~Lena Rollins
DesignandSociety 