NEWSgrist - where spin is art

FOODshed coming to Smack Mellon, June 7-July 27, 2014

Andrea Reynosa, Brooklyn Grange and Alloy : John Street Pasture #crimsonclover #sunset #nyc

FOODshed

An exhibition of upstate/downstate NY artists who work with food and agriculture

Curated by Amy Lipton

Smack Mellon
92 Plymouth Street @ Washington
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Gallery hours are Wednesday - Sunday, 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Directions

ARTISTS:

Joan Bankemper/Black Meadow Barn; Joy Garnett; Habitat For Artists Collective (Simon Draper, Michael Asbill, Carmen Acuna, Dan McGinley, Brandon Cruz, Jessica Poser, Lisa Breznak and Sean Corcoran); Natalie Jeremijenko; Kristyna and Marek Milde; Peter Nadin/Old Field Farm; Leila Nadir + Cary Peppermint (EcoArtTech); Andrea Reynosa, Brooklyn Grange and Alloy; Bonnie Ora Sherk; Jenna Spevack; Susan Leibovitz Steinman/Mona Talbott; Tattfoo Tan; Elaine Tin Nyo; Linda Weintraub

Exhibition Dates: June 7 to July 27, 2014
Artists’ reception: Saturday, June 7, 5pm-8pm

FOODshed: Agriculture and Art in Action focuses on sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship, and artists' use of food as subject matter or medium. The exhibition and programming include 14 exhibiting artists in the gallery at Smack Mellon, 3 public projects in the nearby DUMBO community, as well as public workshops in collaboration with the artists in the exhibition. The gallery exhibition features artworks and inventive projects around agriculture and food that address farming as both activism and art form. Many of the artists in this exhibition are known for bringing community-specific issues into their work and are exploring the real-world implications of small-scale farming and raising community awareness about our food systems. Their varied practices include growing food, cooking food, raising animals for food, and engaging communities around local food production as well as instigating new artist-based economies.

The artists working in New York State today in the realm of food and farming coincide with a larger cultural awakening regarding the ills of our present system, such as the distances food travels to supermarket shelves and the effects of shipping and transport on climate change. Brooklyn has become the epicenter for food activism and culinary explorations. Artists have joined food activists in focusing on environmental problems such as lack of biodiversity in mono-cultural farms, the loss of top soil and nutrient-poor soil, the abuse and poor conditions of feedlot and factory raised animals, the conversion of farmland into housing, and the waste of un-harvested crops. Artists are now farming not only to raise their own food in order to become self-reliant and to eat more healthily, but also to offer alternative and sustainable approaches within their local communities.

For the artists in FOODshed, the acts of cultivation, growing, and by implication educating have evolved to a deeper level of activism where the boundaries of real world and art completely disappear. Their projects present new paradigms regarding the growing, production, distribution and consumption of food. The artists in this exhibition advocate for an organic, regional and local approach, which they are manifesting in their own lives.

More about the artists in FOODshed

FOODshed on Facebook

 

ARTISTS / PROJECTS:

Joan Bankemper/Black Meadow Barn: The Black Currant Jam

Joy Garnett: Piss & Vinegar (art and ferment)

Habitat For Artists: Mic-GRO

Natalie Jeremijenko: FlowerFLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Systems) and xCola

Kristyna and Marek Milde: À la cart

Peter Nadin/Old Field Farm: Thinning Carrots (film)

Leila Nadir + Cary Peppermint (EcoArtTech): OS Fermentation: Collaborative Hacks with Fruits, Vegetables, and Microbes

Andrea Reynosa, Brooklyn Grange and Alloy: John Street Pasture

Bonnie Ora Sherk: A Living Library

Jenna Spevack: Domestic Microfarms

Susan Leibovitz Steinman/Mona Talbott:The Pomona Project

Tattfoo Tan: New Earth - Apocalypse Knowledge Advancement Unit (NEAKA)

Elaine Tin Nyo: Life Is a Plate of Cherries and The Three-Legged Pig

Linda Weintraub: Let Us Eat the Colors of Nature’s Spectrum

 

Recipes for Disaster: a project @ Agency of Unrealized Projects (AUP) -> e-flux

 

 

Joy Garnett

Recipes for Disaster

Real recipes with humorous (dark), brief but informative essays. Cautionary tales, food chain fables. Dorothy Parker meets M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf in a Bruce Sterlingesque post-apocalyptic future. Heston Blumenthal-style cooking and eating, where the eating experience is accompanied by e.g. headphones with sounds of the sea (or people screaming or moaning in our case). Illustrated accordingly.

Appetizers -->

E.coli Edamame with Spiral Jetty Sea Salt

Bird Flu Frittata

Hot Crossed Botulism Buns

Three-legged Frog's Legs á la Provençal (thanks to Brandon Ballengee)

Seared Red Tide Oysters Rockefeller ("updating a classic...")

Cucumber Raita with Greek Goat Encephalitis Strained Yogurt

Dengue Duck Dumplings with Hot Sauce

Chilling Effects Consommé

Hurricane Battered Mississippi Birdfoot

Bucket of Blood Sausage (French) or: There Will Be Blood Sausage (American)

Brown Bilharzia Soup with Garlic Croutons

 

From the Raw Bar -->

Wild Salmonella Tartar

Botox Roll with Heparin Pickle

Mercurial Blue Fin Inside-Out Roll

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From the Agency of Unrealized Projects (AUP) -> e-flux

Unlike unrealized architectural projects, which are frequently exhibited and circulated, unrealized artworks tend to remain unnoticed or little known. But perhaps there is another form of artistic agency in the partial expression, the incomplete idea, the projection of a mere intention? Agency of Unrealized Projects (AUP) seeks to document and display these works, in this way charting the terrain of a contingent future.

Though the state of being unrealized implies the potential for realization, not all projects are intended to be carried out. In other instances, artists deliberately leave works incomplete, to record very interesting "failures" or experiments. Other planned projects involve consciously utopian, non-utilitarian, and conceptual spaces that were not made available for realization. Whether censored, forgotten, postponed, impossible, or rejected, unrealized projects form a unique testament to the speculative power of non-action.

Contact us at [email protected]

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Logo design by Liam Gillick.
Website design/programming by Alan Woo with and for e-flux.

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The Fruity Pop Workshop (With Food In Mind)

via Tattfoo Tan [YouTube], July 21, 2013:

The Fruity Pop Workshop - With Food In Mind

With Food in Mind's new pop-up workshop roams New York City, teaching children aged 4-11 how to make healthy sodas with fruit from their local farmers market.

Commercial sodas and fruit juices containing high-fructose corn syrup and other additives play a big role in the childhood obesity epidemic. With Food in Mind believes that children who possess the skills to make their own beverages can lead healthier lives and positively influence the health of their families, friends, and neighbors. Taking the age-old lemonade stand as inspiration, we encourage Fruity Pop Workshop participants to set up soda stands in their communities, becoming artisans, entrepreneurs, and community changemakers in the process.

The Fruity Pop Workshop was developed in collaboration with New York-based artist Tattfoo Tan whose Nature Matching System Placemat, pictured below, is incorporated into the learning experience. Its colorful chart, based on Tan's photographs of farmers market produce, serves as a reminder to consume our daily dose of color. The artist says, "These intense colors might even be called nature's nutrition labels."

The Fruity Pop Workshop will roam New York City this summer, popping up at Down to Earth farmers markets and other public spaces in low- and moderate-income areas. Children and parents are invited to join a group of artists, educators, and volunteers between 11am and 2pm for hands-on and delicious fun. There is no cost to participate.

Watch the video.....

The Fruity Pop Workshop was created in collaboration with Tattfoo Tan and Down To Earth Markets. Image credit: Tattfoo Tan, “Nature Matching System Placemat” (currently for sale at MoMA Design Store). Courtesy the artist.

More info

Via the website:

With Food in Mind operates at the intersection of food, visual culture, and social change. Because food is relevant to every living person, we believe that it is uniquely capable of engaging many different audiences in learning about the arts. We develop drop-in workshops, afterschool programs, and other educational programs that dynamically combine the two disciplines, fostering art appreciation through food. As a nomadic organization, we partner with a wide range of other organizations and creative types to bring our programs to low-income communities and people of color in New York City and beyond.

With Food in Mind was founded in 2012 by Nicole J. Caruth, a Jill-of-many-trades with over 15 years experience working in the art, food, and fitness industries. The organization affirms her ongoing commitment to art and health education, and personal belief that art can inspire social change. Caruth has written extensively about food in contemporary art and has been called one of the leading voices on the subject. Her writing has appeared in a range of publications including ARTnews, Big, Red & Shiny, C Magazine, Gastronomica, Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art, Public Art Review; the Phaidon Press books Vitamin D2 and Vitamin Green; and numerous exhibition catalogues. She resides in New York where she works as a writer, editor, and curator.

Support 'Artists in the Kitchen': a project for social change brought to you by With Food in Mind

A letter from Nicole J. Caruth, Founder and Director, With Food in Mind:

Dear family, friends, and colleagues,
 
I hope that those of you who live locally are on the mend from the effects of Hurricane Sandy. I send my thoughts to those throughout the metropolitan region who will be rebuilding for some time ahead. Hurricane Sandy’s destruction in the United States as well as in the Caribbean has shown just how important it is to have strong communities when we face challenges. I am writing today to ask for your help to create a program that serves communities in need.
 
In July, I launched the organization With Food in Mind, which creates projects at the intersection of food, visual culture, and social change. We have already had some exciting moments, including a drop-in workshop for children at Greening the City, an annual eco-art festival in Brooklyn. Artist Jenna Spevack taught children how to make mini arugula farms while community chef Melissa Danielle prepared a healthy and delicious arugula and watermelon salad for the children and their families. This event was a wonderful example of our mission and the types of programs we’ll continue to offer. Through dynamic learning experiences that combine art and food, we aim to cultivate future generations of art enthusiasts and healthier eaters.
 
In the next month I am working to raise $6,000 to pilot Artists in the Kitchen, our afterschool program for youth from low-income communities and communities of color. Statistics show that African American and Latino children not only suffer disproportionate rates of obesity but also lack access to arts education more than other groups. I believe that increased opportunities for food and art education are essential to combating these statistics. Artists in the Kitchen can do this. The program fosters learning and appreciation of the arts through the lens of food. It will teach children about palettes and palates at a crucial time in their lives—when their tastes are still developing. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help bring this program to fruition.
 
Donations will support the costs of our pilot program including: stipends for teaching artists, materials for the students, field trips to local museums and farms, and programs for parents. Our pilot will serve middle school students at the School for Democracy and Leadership located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights. Although this school has a kitchen and farm onsite, they lack teachers and funding to make adequate use of these facilities. I see a clear opportunity here for our organization to make positive social change.
 
Artists in the Kitchen is a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Fractured Atlas requires me to raise $1,000 from individuals before I can apply for grants; we cannot meet our long-term goals without them. Just ten contributions of $100 can fulfill this prerequisite and allow us to access more funding opportunities. Sixty contributions of $100 will allow us to also launch Artists in the Kitchen. Your generosity can help us make a difference in young people’s lives and set them on the path to better futures. Any and all donations are welcome and greatly appreciated. Supporters will be listed on our website and in all of our materials.
 
Contributions for the purposes of Artists in the Kitchen are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please make a donation here: http://www.fracturedatlas.org/s/campaign/693.
 
In addition to monetary donations, there are other exciting ways to support the project: Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and help us spread the word to your friends and colleagues.
 
Thanks so much for your support.
 
Yours,
Nicole

Postcards From the Edge: A Benefit for Visual AIDS

A Benefit for Visual AIDS

Hosted by Cheim & Read, 547 W 25th St, New York

BENEFIT SALE - $85 EACH
Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Buy four and get a bonus fifth)
Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 from 12 to 4 p.m. (Buy two and get a bonus third)
Take a guess: Over 1500 anonymous displayed postcard-size masterpieces.
First-come, first-served. $5 suggested admission
Cash, check, credit card (MC/VISA/AMEX) accepted.
Proceeds benefit Visual AIDS.

PREVIEW PARTY
Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sneak Peek: The only opportunity to see the entire exhibition. No sales.
$85 Admission, payable at the door, includes a raffle ticket. Raffle prizes include a chance to pick the FIRST postcard that evening. Participating artists attend free.

Silent Auction of small artworks by Mark Beard, Barton Lidice Benes, Suzanne Caporael, Neil Farber, Joy Garnett, Barbara Hammer, David Humphrey, James Jaxxa, Larry Krone, Lucas Michael, Carrie Moyer, Dawit L. Petros, David Reed and Eric Rhein, also VIP Access packages grant "front of the line" access to Saturday's Postcards From the Edge Benefit Sale.

Check out our Facebook page for update and a peek at some of the artwork.

Postcards From the Edge is a Visual AIDS benefit show and sale of original, postcard-sized works on paper by established and emerging artists. All works are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The works are signed on the back and exhibited so the artists' signatures cannot be seen. While buyers receive a list of all participating artists, they don't know who created which piece until purchased. All proceeds support the programs of Visual AIDS.

Visual AIDS utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving the legacy -- because AIDS IS NOT OVER!