‘You are, what you eat’ is an old adage on the power of food to affect the quality of life. For Jodi Moise, curator of the Montefiore Fine Arts Program and Collection, it is also the message of the ARTViews Gallery’s latest photo exhibition, “Growing Your Own Food, A Declaration of Power,” on display through August.

The exhibit looks to promote health and wellness in the Bronx, the unhealthiest county in New York State. The Bronx is known to have a high rates of diabetes and asthma. In Kingsbridge and Bedford Park, the rate of diabetes is 15 percent, higher than the citywide rate of 10 percent, according to data from the city Department of Health.

Moise believes that the exhibit will show Bronx residents that the remedy for a lot of these health complications can be found in their own backyards.

“There are big problems of obesity and diabetes and asthma in the Bronx,” said Moise. “And a lot of that can be helped by eating healthy food. So it teaches people that going to a local farmer’s market is a possibility. You don’t need to buy pre-packaged food.”

The four-month exhibit showcases urban farmer and community activist Karen Washington as captured by freelance photojournalist Marisol Diaz. Diaz and Washington spent a full year working on the project, with Diaz commuting regularly to Washington’s farm in Chester, NY, about an hour out from the city.

Framed photos featuring fresh tomatoes, peaches, and oranges harvested from the farm are hung throughout the gallery as well as those of Washington and her fellow farmers working at their own farmer’s market on Tremont Avenue.

According to Moise, compared to the other exhibit that have been in the gallery, this photo series “has a message behind it and it’s also telling Karen’s story.”

“When I first met Karen, I was taken by her passion for urban farming,” said Moise, who reached out to Washington for this collaboration after reading about her work in a newspaper. “And she sends a very strong message in a very clear way. And you can see, she’s very passionate, a very passionate soul.”

Washington has been a community activist since 1985, working with Bronx neighborhoods to transform empty lots into community gardens. Born and raised in the Bronx, Washington speaks about the power that comes with owning land and growing your own food. She frequently has school groups visit her farm, many of whom she says have never had the chance to see a farm.

At the unveiling of the exhibit on June 28, Washington stood overwhelmed as she viewed the photos. It was her first time. “This is beyond words,” said a teary-eyed Washington. “Look how far we’ve come.”

Montefiore’s Fine Arts program, created in 2014, aims to reduce stress and create a calming and healing atmosphere through visual arts. “Growing Your Own Food, A Declaration of Power” will be on display in Rosenthal at the Montefiore Medical Center-Moses Division through August. It will move to Montefiore’s Wakefield Campus and Weiler-Albert Einstein location after.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.