By Connie Blaszczyk

Why would a group of local volunteers give up a beautiful Sunday afternoon to work at the ArtFarm? To give the site an agricultural facelift.

ArtFarm supporters bedecked the area’s 2.2 acre fence with colorful cutouts of fruits and vegetables. The Plexiglass forms are a harbinger of the site’s planned urban agriculture.

Sister and brother artists Andrew and Alyssa Ringler collaborated on the project in response to an open call for art decorations on the ArtFarm fence from the Somerville Arts Council, who sponsored the installation.  While Brooklyn-based Alyssa did most of the illustrative work and design, Boston-based Andrew completed the forms at Artisan’s Asylum in Somerville and at MassArt.

“The idea of an urban farm mixes the human-built city with the natural: food, fruits and vegetables,” says Andrew. “We decided to laser cut fruits and vegetables out of Plexiglass because it embraces this contrast.”

The former waste transfer site at 10 Poplar Street has hosted a variety of local Somerville arts events, including Project MUM, the Tiny House Festival and the upcoming AgriCultural Festival on Saturday, October 1.

The ArtFarm-branded signage can be seen along Poplar and Chestnut Streets and near the adjacent McGrath Highway bus stop.

ArtsUnion’s AgriCultural Festival at ArtFarm postponed to Sunday October 2