Most widely known as the “Gangsta Gardener,” Ron Finley inadvertently started a horticultural revolution when he transformed the barren parkway in front of his South Central L.A. home into an edible oasis.
Frustrated by his community’s lack of access to fresh, organic food, Finley started a revolution when he turned the parkway in front of his home into an edible garden in 2010. Ron’s goal was simple: bring healthy food to an area where there was none, making him see first-hand how gardens build community and change people’s lives. This experience blossomed into a quest to change how we eat and to teach youth that they have the capacity to design their own lives.
Based in LA, Ron is now working on The Ron Finley Project, speaking at global conferences and in classrooms. He is currently on the Curatorial Team of the Destination Crenshaw project, a 1.3-mile-long outdoor art and cultural experience celebrating Black Los Angeles. He was also selected as one of the national artists for the Public Art Challenge Fertile Ground Project by Bloomberg Philanthropies in Jackson, Mississippi.
