Bloom’s work in Baltimore is growing into a vibrant network of community-led ecological and cultural initiatives. From creative public engagement with fungi at Mushroom City Art Festival to hands-on soil remediation and land stewardship with Rhizae Renewal Collective, local groups are restoring urban ecosystems and building regenerative futures. Chesapeake Farmland Commons, in partnership with community leaders like Atiya Wells and Backyard Basecamp, is advancing long-term food sovereignty by securing land in Northeast Baltimore for farming, education, and shared community use. Together, these efforts are reconnecting people with land, healing soil, and strengthening grassroots community resilience across the city.
Holly Wheat & I hosted, with huge support from the Carrie Murray Nature Center, Mushroom City Art Festival this last October. This festival was first hosted by me & friends in 2013 and has been held at Gwynns Falls Leakin Park since 2015. This last year, marked our 10th year at the park. Mushroom City is a well loved, all ages festival that weaves together mycological education with art, craft making, music, sound healing, local vendors and more! Mushroom City has run for 10 years as a free and for donation festival. We now charge a $10 admission to help us with paying our talent and covering costs. This low barrier to attendance helps foster a a wide and diverse community - sporing mycelial knowledge far & wide and creating a magical space for the whole family.
We brought together over 50 artists and educators to share music 🎶 in the woods around the fire with a cup of hot reishi tea, as forays (mushroom and plant identification walks) left every hour from the fire circle for attendees to journey deeper into the woods where puffballs, earth stars & turkey tail were found. Back at the lodge, a stamp making workshop & a shiitake log inoculation workshop happened just outside under the pine trees. Inside the lodge, talks on extraction, truffles, psychedelics in the humanities & gourmet mushrooms were shared with an avid audience. There was also singing bowl offerings in the gazebo, a host of vendors selling tinctures and crafts, a yoga class, children’s craft making activities in the woods & more.
This Mushroom City was a turning point for the organizers. Holly and I were hugely supported by the Carrie Murray staff who handled parking, check in, signs, and more. This huge lift of support allowed us to focus on finer details of the festival. Additionally, the Carrie Murray Nature Center loved hosting us and Mushroom City will be adopted as their fall festival!
The enduring story that emerged from hosting this festival is the power of persistence. It took many years for this festival to become adopted and loved by others who helped lift work off my shoulders & are now helping to love, imagine & carry it forward.
The next step this year is looking for more grants to support this festival. Mushroom City’s long connection to Bloom speaks to the larger regenerative community we fruit within. Bloom is intimately interwoven with our story & lineage. Mushroom City would never have been imagined without Bloom. 🌸
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