Art Pollination: Community, Food, Art, Poetry & Performance

Art Pollination: Community, Food, Art, Poetry & Performance

Last updated on December 05, 2025

WHAT: The City of Orlando will host the culminating event for its Art Pollination initiative this Saturday at Lake Lorna Doone Park. Art Pollination: Community, Food, Art, Poetry, and Performance is a day of dynamic programming designed around fighting hunger and food insecurity in Central Florida.

Currently, 1 in 7 people in Central Florida are food insecure, which means they don't have reliable access to healthy food. This includes more than 500,000 people who don't know where their next meal will come from. In support of efforts to fight hunger across our region, the City of Orlando created Art Pollination, a unique initiative that leverages the power of art and creativity to raise awareness of (and promote approaches to address) the shared challenges of food insecurity and hunger in our community.

Supported by a $1 million Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge grant, Art Pollination brings together more than two dozen artists who have developed temporary public art installations across the city, along with other events and programming, as a catalyst to raise awareness about food insecurity while highlighting the critical work of local nonprofit partners.

The community is invited to this free, six-hour event, which will bring together the national and local artists who have shaped the initiative and leveraged their skills and artwork to create enduring community impact.

"The Art Pollination initiative continues to be a powerful force, fostering dialogue and action around food insecurity and community well-being through the universal language of art," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. "This celebration is a testament to what we can achieve when we forge new kinds of collaborations and partnerships between artists, residents and nonprofits to address important civic issues. We encourage everyone to join us for a day of unique performances, incredible food, and innovative art."

The event, which is free and open to the public, features a variety of activities, including:

• A community meal and cooking demonstrations.
• Major unveilings of the community-created quilt, Our Future, Our Food, and new Art Pollination plantings and installations.
• Live Performances by national Dancer/Choreographer Emily Johnson, Poet Shawn Welcome, the Jones High School Marching Band, Food Justice Slam Poets, Black Bee Honey Poetry, and more than five other diverse artists.
• Community engagements such as Apron & Quilt Making, a Print Station for posters and t-shirts, and Mural & Bed Activations.
• A Local Artists Panel Discussion and presentations.
• Food truck vendors and SMILES ICE CREAM.

The Art Pollination project, featuring work from lead artist Juan William Chávez and more than 20 other artists, is a model for how temporary public art can create deeper community connections and inspire civic change.

Saturday December 6, 2025
12 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Art Pollination Main Event
Lake Lorna Doone Park, 1519 West Church Street

About the Public Art Challenge:
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge supports temporary public art projects addressing civic issues. By engaging artists, city leaders, and residents, the initiative fosters creative solutions that inspire action and strengthen communities.

For more detailed information about Art Pollination, including artist biographies and examples of previous work, a calendar of events and further details about exhibitions and art installations around the city, please visit: Art Pollination | Bloomberg Connects.

Additional Details & Upcoming Events Schedule: Orlando.gov/ArtPollination.

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