Eliza Woods joins Diaspora Gardens as the resident Farm & Arts Apprentice

Hailing from Belleville, WI, Eliza Woods is a dancer, poet, lemon bar lover, and proud nerd. This past May, she graduated from UMD with a degree in Anthropology, and she's been living, learning, and creating at Diaspora Gardens ever since.

Eliza discovered Diaspora Gardens through a class project she did last year - "Retracing Steps: From Marks to Milwaukee." Using historical data, photographs, story, and original poetry, Eliza drew on her Anthropology studies and family history to take classmates and later the Giving Garden community members on one African Heritage family's migration journey from sharecropping in the south to city life in the Midwest. This journey shed light on history and racial impacts which still shape the health of communities and the nation ... and call for action and resilience.

What drew Eliza to this Apprenticeship?  In her own words:

I embarked on the Farm & Arts Apprentice with Diaspora Gardens / Planting Connections, Planting Hope because I wanted to connect with and understand my family (on this earth and not) in a different way than I had before. I come from farmers on both sides of my family, yet my personal relationship with growing is still young.

Also, I wanted to learn from someone who I can see myself in, someone who I can relate to as a person of African heritage and as an artist. It was a blessing to meet, Ms. Regina and be re-introduced to a way of growing that prioritizes and actively integrates art, healing, and history.

Lastly, I wanted to come away with skills I can share with others and call upon at various points in my life.

On her days off, you might find Eliza listening to podcasts, dancing on the farm and in the forest, holding random deep conversations, or eating ice cream.

Eliza's presence is a gift to Diaspora Gardens.