Joseph Brooks - Land Collective Blog #4

 Land Collective: Arts + Technicality

3.6.2026

The pace is picking up in the studio, but as we get busier, I somehow become less and less billable -- which I'm not complaining about. I took a break from my documentation work and dug myself out of my stacks of redlines to help David Rubin set up our annual exhibition at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which displays selections from his collection of antique garden tools and paraphernalia. I find his curatorial interest in this collection fascinating - he views the tools not just as practical implements, but as political ones. Therefore, his collection chronologically documents the evolution of landscape as politcal media. This year's display includes copper watering cans, mounted secateurs, surveying equipment, shovels, and archival prints of seminal landscapes like Hampton Court. We're also displaying a collection of medals, iconography, and banners from the Ancient Orders of Gardeners and Foresters, benevolent proto-masonic organizations responsible for the horticultural and aesthetic evolution of Eurowestern garden traditions. I acted as David's gallery assistant as we set up our display in the Philadelphia Convention Center. My duties entailed transporting artwork in my car (terrifying, considering that each piece was likely worth more than said car) and setting up the display. David gave me the opportunity to flex my curatorial muscles on a few of the displays - for those of you who followed my gallery exhibitions last year, you can imagine how excited I was. We began receiving rave reviews from passersby in the days leading up to the exhibition, and I am excited to see how people respond to the display throughout the flower show.

Ref. 1 Plaques, medallions, and awards given to gardens past.

My work on my secret feasibility study is going well. We hosted Mary Schultz from LC's Indianapolis studio in Philly last week, allowing me to visit the site with her. She is a key collaborator on this project and has much more background knowledge than I do, so it was good to pick her brain in person and sketch some ideas. The site is riddled with remnant post-industrial infrastructure, and I am beginning to immerse myself in its (absolutely insane) history. More to come on that as the project progresses.

Ref. 2 100 years of abandoned infrastructure in one image.

Peep the urban meadow in the foreground!

Finally, I took a weekend trip to visit my family in western Massachusetts. I recently had a chance encounter that led to my acquisition of a snowboard, and conditions were stellar - 51 degrees with fresh powder on the ground. I hit some sweet park laps and smacked into a tree riding glades with my brother. Fun times.

Ref. 3 Experts only!

Ref. 4 One chilly farmhouse. Lakeville, CT.