This summer, the Cincinnati Art Museum teamed up with the Civic Garden Center (CGC) for an afternoon of hands-on garden exploration and art making inspired by Farm to Table: Food and Identity in the Age of Impressionism. In this Create Plus program, participants walked in the footsteps of artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, and Pissarro, making fields, flowers, and farm-fresh produce the stars of their work.

To begin, CGC staff led a walk through their gardens and grounds to harvest still life items. Guests wandered through fragrant rosemary, basil, and lavender in the herb garden and admired late summer native blooms. We explored rows of tomatoes, peppers, and kale in the vegetable beds, and discovered the promise of fruit trees and berry bushes in a newly planted food forest. From Purple Coneflower to lemongrass to squash, our basket overflowed with the colors and textures of summer.

Once the harvest was complete, local artist Devan Horton led a mixed-media workshop that blended painting and drawing. Participants arranged the freshly gathered produce and blooms into captivating compositions. By the end of the session, each guest had crafted a unique artwork that bridged garden and studio and reflected their personal style.

Fueling all this creativity was local food rescue organization La Soupe, who delivered snacks in abundance and style. Guests savored a charcuterie board and enjoyed chilled gazpacho bursting with the freshness of cucumber. It felt good to dig in, knowing that every bite supported La Soupe’s mission to turn surplus harvests into tasty, zero-waste meals.

Just as late-19th-century French painters used food scenes to explore culture and identity, this workshop connected farm to table in a modern context, highlighting urban agriculture and the food rescue movement. Participants experienced firsthand how food and creativity still weave together—whether in a Parisian studio or a plot in Cincinnati.