There’s a quiet discernment when you meet Rotem Blat (@rotemb0t). Her strength comes through in a way that makes you pay attention and she carries herself with an ease that feels grounded, not performative. She has the soul of an artist and the kind of laid back presence that makes you trust where she’s leading. Rotem is a co-coordinator of Maple Street Community Garden’s Fundraising Committee, guiding the team through four annual events with a calm, steady confidence.

She’s not precious about the work either. Rotem shows up, gets her hands in the soil, brings her weekly scraps on Saturdays, and moves easily between creating and maintaining. She’s got an artist’s eye and a gardener’s instincts, and you feel both when she’s inside the garden gates.

Rotem joined Maple Street Community Garden in June 2024, give or take a month by her own admission, and it didn’t take long before she became part of the rhythm of the garden. After a few years away from New York, she came back and found the garden at the right time. It’s welcoming, creative, and just messy enough to let you dig in and learn something new.

Ask her what she loves most and it’s the way time slips. “My favorite memory is just the times where I come in thinking I'll be there for 2 minutes and I end up staying for hours just chatting or reveling at the plants and little critters,” Rotem says. That’s the thing about Maple Street Community Garden, you don’t really just stop by.

As co-coordinator of the Fundraising Committee, she’s already shaped some of the garden’s biggest moments. The September 2025 MSCG Arts Cafe and Bake Sale came together under her thoughtful, detail oriented approach. In her words, “The art cafe was co-created by the fundraising committee as a space where there’s no rush, people can sit, make things with their hands if they want, or not, and just be together. Spending time with community like that, without needing a clear objective, is something I want more of in my life and in the garden.”

Outside the garden, Rotem creates mosaic murals using found objects and upcycled tiles and plates. It feels like an extension of how she moves through the space, taking what’s there, shaping it with care, and leaving something lasting behind. We’re excited to see where she takes the Fundraising Committee next.

Written by Jess Frost, Communication Committee Co-Coordinator

Portraits by Nance Treuber, Communication Committee

Community Spotlight: Rotem Blat