The Grange unveils three new murals painted by Analy students

The grange is having an opening reception tonight to celebrate three new murals depicting the Grange's guiding graces

Grange President Lawrence Jaffe shows off one of the new murals on the grange. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

On Tuesday evening, April 29, the Sebastopol Grange will celebrate the installation of three new murals (and a handsome new sign) on the Grange Hall on Highway 12. The murals, which were painted by students from Analy High School, symbolize the Roman goddesses of fruit, grain and flowers (Pomona, Ceres and Flora). (These are called “the graces” within the Grange movement.)

The murals were organized by Artstart, a local nonprofit that, among other things, works with teenagers to create public art.

“The funding was awarded to Artstart from Creative Sonoma, and Asherah Weiss, Artstart’s former program director, initiated and managed the project from inception to completion,” Grange President Lawrence Jaffe said.

“Artstart did an interview with the Grange. They said, ‘We’d like to do murals. What would you like to see on the murals?’ And so we went straight back to our three graces, which are the founding goddesses of agriculture,” Jaffe said.

Lest you think this is some kind of new-fangled, neo-pagan reference, Jaffe says the Grange has been associated with the three agricultural graces from its inception.

“The National Grange movement was founded within the US Department of Agriculture, and they [the graces] have been part of Grange ritual since the very beginning in 1867,” Jaffe said, noting that the Sebastopol Grange, which was founded in 1898, still sets up a table with items honoring these graces at the beginning of every meeting.

The three new murals represent flowers, fruit and grain—and Grange’s continued devotion to its agricultural roots. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Standing in front of the grange building, he described each mural.

“So you see on the left we have flowers, which represent Flora, the goddess of flowers, and you see the apples, which represent Pomona, the goddess of fruit. So this is where the name of the study of pomology [the science of fruit growing] comes from. And then Ceres—just like the Ceres Project—is the grain Goddess, and then she's represented over here on the far right, with the Laguna and the mountains. This is our agricultural history.”

The murals were painted off-site and then installed on the building by Artstart.

Installing the murals. (Photo provided by the Sebastopol Grange)

What is a Grange?

Although the Grange movement had its roots in the Department of Agriculture—its founder Oliver Kelley worked there—the Grange is a private social and fraternal organization, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. It is the oldest, nationwide American agricultural advocacy group.

Part of the American agrarian revolt of the late 19th century, the original Grange lobbied state legislatures and Congress for laws to protect farmers (50% of the workforce back then) from price gouging by railroads and middlemen, the groups farmers relied on to get their produce to the people.

Although Grange membership was historically made up of farmers, Granges have always played a broader role in rural communities. Today, the membership of the Sebastopol Grange can best be described as farm-adjacent. (On-farm laborers—i.e., farmers—now make up just 1.2% of the US workforce.)

According to the Sebastopol Grange website, “Grange halls are often the center of their community, providing opportunities, culture and education, entertainment, emergency shelter, and a meeting place where new friends are made and old friends are cherished. That is the mission of the Sebastopol Hall.”

But Jaffe said the local grange also stays true to its agricultural roots. “The Grange is an agricultural fraternity whose idea is that agriculture was the first profession, and that we need to acknowledge and dignify the labor of the agricultural worker,” he said.

You’re invited to tonight’s opening reception

The Grange is having an opening reception tonight in honor of the new murals from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

“Instead of having our regular meeting with a potluck dinner, we’re having potluck hors d’oeuvres and wine, and we’re calling it an art opening,” Jaffe said. “Our Grange musician Peter Schurch is putting together a bluegrass band. The Morris dancers are also going to come out and do a dance for us, and the students will be here.”

You are invited to join them at Sebastopol Grange at 6000 Sebastopol Road (Hwy. 12), just east of Sebastopol. As per usual for grange events and in honor of zero waste, please bring hors d’oeuvres to share, BYOB, and your own dishes and utensils.