AFLO Masterpieces: Growers as Art

Life Imitating Art…Imitating Life

At AFLO, we strongly believe in a good work ethic and try to impart that to our Growers. We also believe in having a little fun and giving our Growers a new kind of challenge. For this challenge, we asked them to help us recreate some famous pastoral works of art.

We call these “AFLO Masterpieces”.

And like many things we do, it’s a little less ordinary. But to us, it’s extraordinary. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. We will be posting new images across the summer (and sharing on Facebook and via our newsletter) and updating this page on our website.

2023 AFLO Masterpieces

Haymakers (1785) by George Stubbs

AFLO Haymakers (Original Image) by Meredith, Tim, Jack, Simon, Ashton, & Amanda

AFLO Haymakers (Original Image) by Meredith, Tim, Jack, Simon, Ashton, & Amanda

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Land Girls Hoeing (1918) by Manly MacDonald

AFLO Girls Hoeing by Meredith, Ashton, & Amanda

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AFLO Girls Hoeing (Original Image) by Meredity, Ashton, & Amanda

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Milking Time (1875) by Winslow Homer

AFLO Springtime Break by Ashton & Jonathan

AFLO Springtime Break (Original Image) by Ashton & Jonathan

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Haymaking (1864) by Winslow Homer

AFLO Haymaking by Miguel

AFLO Haymaking (Original Image) by Miguel

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The Hay Harvest (Early Summer June/July)) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Hay Harvest (Spring, April) by Meredith, Ashton, and Amanda

The Hay Harvest (Original Image) by Meredith, Ashton, and Amanda

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Cider Making by William Sidney Mount

AFLO Cider Making by Ashton, Dennis, Robbie, Jack, Tim, Rick, and Simon

AFLO Cider Making (Original Image) by Ashton, Dennis, Robbie, Jack, Tim, Rick, and Simon

2022 AFLO Masterpieces

Under the Trees by Phillip Wilson Steer

Under the Trees by Meredith L., Dennis M., Kate M., Jack J., and Ian R.

Original Image of Under the Tree by the AFLO Team

The Gleaner by Helen McNicoll

The Gleaner by Kate M.

Original Image of The Gleaner, by AFLO

The Road in the Rye, by Grigoriy Myasoyedov

The Road in the Rye, by Dennis M.

Original Image of The Road in the Rye, by AFLO

Farmer with Wheelbarrow, by Emmanuel Vierin

Farmer with Wheelbarrow, by Jack J.

Original Image of Farmer with Wheelbarrow, by AFLO

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The Apple Gatherer by Helen McNicoll

The Apple Gatherer, by Meredith L.

Original Image of Apple Gatherer, by AFLO

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2021 AFLO Masterpieces

American Gothic by Grant Wood

AFLO Gothic by Tamsen and Ian

AFLO Gothic by Emma and Jonathan

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A Temperance Meeting by Winslow Homer

An AFLO Meeting by Tamsen & Ian Rodgers

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Song of the Lark by Winslow Homer

Song of the Weed Whacker by Ethan Miller

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Farm Women at Work by Georges Seurat

Farm Men at Work by Clark Lescarbeau and Matt Paolinelli

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Farmer with Pitchfork by Winslow Homer

Ian with a Pitchfork by Ian Pham

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Picking Flowers in a Field by Mary Cassatt

Picking Flowers at AFLO South by Kelly Erikson, Riley Olekszyk, and Tamsen McKerley

Picking Flowers at AFLO North by Ian Rodgers, Skye M., and Matthew Paolinelli

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The Reaper by Winslow Homer

The Organizer, by Kate McDowell

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The Farmers’ Lunch by Diego Velázquez

The Farmers’ Lunch by Emma, Clarke, and Daniel

Meet Ian, an AFLO Grower

What would my child with autism’s life be? With limited verbal skills and coping mechanisms, will he always be needing help and support? What will happen when we parents are no longer able to provide that support? Parents of children with developmental disabilities struggle with these questions many times during their child’s life, and especially during challenging periods that occur every week, month if not daily.

Being a Special Olympics coach who has been in close contact with hundreds of athletes with special needs and various intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the last 15 years, I am also aware of how they make a living, especially the fact that on average they only work 26 hours per a two-week period. And how even the best of these adults with special needs end up with jobs pulling grocery carts and helping to bag groceries.

There is plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that we as a society have not done a good job supporting the estimated 7.3 million people with intellectual and developmental (ID/DD) in the United States.

At a minimum, it has been a huge challenge for us as parents to find a place where these adults with ID/DD can make a positive contribution to our society. During this especially challenging year 2020, with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 virus, when so many jobs and workplaces have shuttered, the challenges have become even more daunting. Therefore, A Farm Less Ordinary (AFLO), the welcoming community for people with ID/DD created by Maya Wechsler, Greg Masucci, and their incredible staff, has been nothing short of a Godsend.

Our son Ian was laid off from both his jobs in March: a winery and a movie theater. To be able then to find work on a farm that’s located in our local community, and especially a place whose mission is to provide jobs to adults with ID/DD, was an indescribable feeling for us.

As I am writing this note, a week or two has passed since the farm shut down for the season. Our son Ian, who is normally economical with his words, has expressed how he has missed working at the farm. A creature of habits, I am sure he is missing his three days of work at AFLO and his routines there.

What he’s unable to explain in his own words (and what I am trying to put down here in these notes on his behalf) is the pride I am sure that he feels when seeing the vegetables he helped grow from the young plants in the greenhouse and then put in the ground…the countless hours of weeding and watering and more weeding. Then watching the once sparse landscape grow into beautiful rows of tomato plants, vibrant green and yellow summer squashes, beautiful red onions and purple carrots and sweet cherry tomatoes.

While not a fan of vegetables in general (as most young adults his age), I am sure even Ian has noticed the vegetables that he helped grow make their way onto our dinner table providing a new fountain of youth to us, which we’ve boasted to our friends and family about.

Maya and Greg’s decision to create a safe home for their son, and a farm where he and other adults with ID/DD can find paid work and acceptance, has indeed provided a home for our son Ian these last five months. In the challenging times of the coronavirus, Ian and his co-workers/growers, under the guidance of Maya, Greg and staff, have quietly produced tons of the most beautiful organically grown produce in the area. They have worked side by side with a spirited group of volunteers and found acceptance and meaning, something that is rare in other workplaces. We cannot express enough thanks to AFLO for helping our son Ian find meaning in his work and his home.

—Chau P., Father to Ian

Meet Frankie, One of Our Growers

My son Frankie graduated from high school in 2019. Although I had learned about A Farm Less Ordinary from his high school teacher we did not have any personal experience with the farm until he was in the CAST program. He had not had much luck on job interviews until his teacher took him to AFLO for an interview. He came home so excited, proclaiming it was “the best day of my life” because they had offered him a job. Any parent who is lucky enough to see their child so happy knows the feeling of warmth that spreads from their heart to fill their soul with joy.

Although Frankie is very bright, having Autism can make him respond to some situations a little differently than most people. When faced with an activity he is unsure of, he will avoid doing it at all costs because he is afraid of failing. Since this was a completely new experience for him, we knew there would be many challenges for him to face. To help him adjust he was supposed to have a job coach to guide him in this transition into a working adult. With the closing of schools, he was forced to do this on his own. As a mom I feared this might become an insurmountable obstacle. However, the current pandemic has forced us all to face A World Less Ordinary, which meant that my husband was home from work. Maya and Greg were very understanding and open to the idea that my husband go to the farm to help Frankie in this transition to employment.

With the guidance and support of everyone involved I see my son growing each day like the plants lovingly tended at A Farm Less Ordinary. Saying thank you seems so inadequate but THANK YOU!

Parents and Caretakers: What Can You Expect from A Farm Less Ordinary?

The range of choices available to parents of children with special needs becomes narrower and narrower as these children grow into adults. The American school system’s obligation towards these young adults ends at the age of 22. Then the question quickly becomes what now? How will my child pass their time for the next five to six decades?

For some parents, that might mean a day program, with outings and quite possibly some time spent in a “sheltered workshop” setting, doing piecemeal work for piecemeal wages. Day programs can be a place to leave your grown child so that you can carry on working, knowing that your adult child is being looked after by people who are hopefully prepared to work with a range of disabilities and needs. For some adults with intellectual disabilities, this might be an appropriate and safe setting.

For other families, the search begins for a workplace that is flexible enough to deal with your child’s particular skills mix, and possibly even their personal eccentricities. Sometimes, you connect with a third party contractor, who works under a state or county contract to introduce your child to potential job settings to determine which job might suit your child best. There will be interviews, experiential work days, one-on-one job coach (if needed), and support (should  child need help navigating the eccentricities of each job setting. There are often many failures before at last, your child finds the setting and the employer.

In some cases, however, that perfect job match remains elusive. Perhaps it’s because the employer is new to this whole intellectual and developmental disability thing, and lacks the patience and flexibility needed to onboard and train an employee like this. Or perhaps it’s because your child has had so many mismatches in job settings that s/he’s given up. Or maybe no one has ever sat down and explained exactly what kind of behavior, preparation, and communication is needed to hold down a job….besides your parents, of course. But no one ever listens to their parents, right?

When parents and caretakers bring their kids to A Farm Less Ordinary, they may notice a few pleasant changes:

• Your child will be active during their days here, burning calories by walking, bending, carrying, etc. They will come home ready to eat dinner and then sleep.  

• ·Your child will make friends while they’re here. They will be surrounded by people who “get it”, who don’t judge, and who are ready to accept everyone’s “quirks”.  

• ·Your child will be expected to work when they’re on the farm. If your child is having a tough day, they – like all adults – will be asked to still complete their work. Because that’s what a job is: you still have to show up and get your work done, even if you’re not in a great mood.

• Your child will come home with food that they’ve grown. In fact, we wish our Growers would take home more food, but not everyone is a fan of vegetables, apparently!

• Your child will be paid for their work, just like any employee expects, after working hard.

• Your child will leave AFLO with core job skills and specific agricultural skills. We are thrilled when our Growers decide not to return to work here because they’ve found work elsewhere.

Our goal is to transform our Growers into an adult with a work history and the job skills that are often more difficult for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to absorb in a traditional environment - skills that need to be modeled and even explained. We don’t assume that our Growers know these things on their first day of work here, but we expect them to leave here ready to use those skills in both non-traditional AND traditional work settings, which will hopefully make those post-school years less stressful and more fruitful for the entire family.

The Power in Transforming the Cared for into the Caretaker

Many of our employees arrive at the farm under the watchful eye of their parents, job coaches, and even transportation providers. Some combination of these people sit in on the job interviews we have with our Growers[1], stay with their Growers during the work day (at least at the beginning of their time here), and stay very close to their kids during the course of their work season at A Farm Less Ordinary.

And why wouldn’t they? Their job (DNA-driven, or otherwise) is to look after someone who doesn’t fit into the “normal” mold, and they will protect that person from as many stumbles as possible. We shield the people we care about from disappointment, failure, hurt…you name it.

But what about the person who is cared for constantly? How often do they get the chance to care for something themselves, when a good part of their lives are spent being protected, supported, and shielded? How often are they asked to care for something outside of their family bubble?

At A Farm Less Ordinary, our Growers are asked to feel responsible for all of the plants on the farm. They start these plants from seed, protect them from weeds, pests, and all of the threats that come from sitting in an exposed field 24-7. Our Growers then harvest the gifts these plants give them, in response to the protection our Growers have provided. Finally, our Growers prepare the produce they have nurtured into existence, washing it, boxing it up for our CSA customers, or handing it to farmers’ market customers. In other words, our Growers become caretakers themselves, through their work on the farm.

And in the process, they have learned how to get through a job interview, come to work prepared, interact with coworkers appropriately, finish assigned tasks….oh, the list goes on. We accomplish so many things during the course of a farm season, which are all transformative in their own way. I guess you could say that our Growers are transformed while they are transforming seeds into dinner for your table.

How cool is that? People who are constantly cared for get to constantly care for something instead. That feeling has to be transformative in and of itself.

[1] Because this is a real job, and we expect our Growers to go through normal employment milestones

What Would It Feel Like to Be a Permanent Stranger in Your Own Land?

If someone were to ask you to assign value to the sense of feeling comfortable in your own skin, relaxed in your surroundings, and content in knowing that people understand your intentions and motivations, as you walk through the world, could you? I mean, it’s not like there’s a word or a monetary amount you can assign to that level of...ease.

Personally, the image I think of is when I return to America after being abroad. Once I’m back in the States, I no longer need to try and map out each sentence I attempt to speak in a foreign language. I no longer worry if I’ve offended anyone by stepping on a local custom, or if people are making assumptions about whether I’m one of those “ugly” Americans. I feel like I’m home again. It was nice to visit a foreign land, but I’m back to a place where it’s easy to crack jokes, tell someone exactly what I need/want/feel, and can assume that the person I’m talking to has some very fundamental things in common with me.

But what if I had no baseline country/community/social group I could always return to after venturing out into a place where I was so different from everyone else? What if I was constantly in a foreign country where I never mastered the language? I’d be on edge all the time. Communicating with people would be exhausting. I would second-guess every sentence I uttered every single day of the week, wondering if I the joke I made actually sounded funny, or whether I offended somebody simply by commenting on how I thought the day was going. I’m pretty certain what I would feel would be endless anxiety.

Or how about this thought exercise?

What if you were simply hanging out in the community you grew up in, not traveling anywhere, just trying to make a friend here and there. You try a lot at first, because we all seek connections with other humans. But as you face more misunderstandings, more negative reactions to your attempts to talk to people about your interests and hobbies, more eye rolling and cold shoulders when you start quoting your favorite scene from your favorite movie ever, or perhaps have a “unique” response to a particular sensory input….you try to connect with people less and less. You might have gotten away with more when you were younger, but now that you’re growing facial hair…people just don’t want to bother with you anymore. And you don’t bother either, because consistent rejection and misunderstandings are exhausting.

In contrast, when you arrive at A Farm Less Ordinary, you are welcome to “let your freak flag fly” – within reason, of course! Even though you might essentially live in a foreign country during the rest of your life, when you work on the farm, you are accepted, welcomed, humored and respected. And if we can’t always understand exactly what you mean, we try really, really hard to understand the gist of it. And we won’t reject you, tease you, or dismiss you for being different.

Can you imagine how freeing that might be? For our Growers, that means that they can let their shoulders down, breathe more freely, and maybe even make some friends. We all have some sort of disability here, and we own it. We’re not embarrassed or afraid to talk about it. We embrace our disabilities, our weirdness. We focus on what we can do, and work around or through those things we can’t yet do.

At A Farm Less Ordinary, we are a community. Everyone’s welcome. And while you’re here, you can learn a few things and earn some money. That’s a pretty good deal, right?