Mark your calendars to visit Farm Fair International at the Edmonton Expo Centre from November 6 - 8, 2026. The Works project, The Fine Art of Farming, presents Calvin Becker-Burns’ exhibit, Wild Cultivation.
Make sure to drop by on November 6th, between 6pm-8pm for the opening reception to meet the artist and take in the wonderful, original song stylings of Ordinary John
“This body of work begins with the premise that all material culture is directly derived from the earth and its resources. Anything that we can have, touch, own or physically hold is of the land. This includes what we eat, our primitive to advanced technologies, and all that we wear, consume and discard. Wild Cultivation uses traditional landshaping and scaping tools to make evident this connection between material culture and the land
Ideas around wildness and domestication and notions of labour and ingenuity are coupled with a humorous look at efficacy and effectiveness in these pieces. Does a shovel with three handles invite three people to use it at the same time to improve quality and performance? How about a rake with rakeheads at both ends of the handle? I enjoy the play between the engineered and the refined, with the natural foundations of the equipment we use.” - Calvin Becker-Burns