Kathryn Adamchick, an Art/Food organizer, talks about how Art/Food relates to the work of Gordon Matta-Clark and a 1971 pig roast under the Brooklyn Bridge.
As part of the Contemporary’s “Homegrown Summer,” and to celebrate the closing of the Pulitzer’s Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark, the two institutions will together host Art/Food tomorrow, June 5, from 1-4pm. For full event details, please visit our event page.
To get an idea of how this multi-layered event came together, I interviewed one of the key organizers, Anna Poss, Administrative Assistant to the Departments of Curatorial and Community Engagement at the Pulitzer.
AB: What has your role been for Art/Food?
AP: I have been working with Kathryn Adamchick, an independent art education consultant, and Alex Elmestad, from Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, in developing and planning this event. We wanted to create a collaborative event that represented the themes of our respective shows. For the Contemporary and their Great Rivers Biennial, the goal is to feature local and sustainable food. For the Pulitzer, the aim of the event is to incorporate the ideals of Gordon Matta-Clark from his restaurant Food and his performance pieces that incorporated food, like the pig roast he had under the Brooklyn Bridge. Food and art both have this amazing capability of bringing people together from diverse backgrounds and uniting them. Art/Food really highlights this connection and celebrates it in a way that is rarely done.
AB: What sparked the partnership between the Contemporary and the Pulitzer for this event?
AP: We are neighboring arts institutions, so it only seems natural to combine our forces to create an event for our publics and the neighborhood.
AB: Why five dollars or flour, oil and vinegar as suggested donations?
AP: We are suggesting that people bring donations in for St. Louis University’s Campus Kitchen because their goal is to serve the community through food. They provide meals to people who do not have regular access to them. Their mission and goals align with what we are trying to accomplish with this event.
We want this event to be accessible to everyone, so we wanted to give people the option of donating something besides money. Jenny Bird, the director of Campus Kitchen, gave us a list of items they have a need for and flour, oil, and vinegar were on the list. Kathryn Adamchick had this really great idea of these items relating to alchemy in that they are basic items used to transform dishes. With that thought, we were able to make a connection to the show at the Pulitzer.
AB: What is significant about the gumbo and roasted pig being served?
The gumbo we are serving comes from Gordon Matta-Clark’s personal recipe that was used at Food. Jane Crawford, his widow, is being so gracious in letting us recreate and serve it. Gordon Matta-Clark roasted a whole pig (and made 500 sandwiches from it!) under the Brooklyn Bridge and made a film about the event. Our roasted pig from Kendrick’s is a homage to that.
AB: What are some other dishes that will be dished out?
AP: We will have a pasta salad and two vegetable dishes made from local produce. The chefs from Five, Monarch, and Herbie’s Vintage 72 have generously donated their time in making these original dishes for us. Fitz’s has donated root beer and Mountain Valley is donating water. The Garage Brewer’s Society of St. Louis will be on hand to give out samples of micro-brewed beers.
AB: What activity are you particularly excited about?
AP: People who attend Art/Food can create s’mores in solar powered ovens from Earthways. Environmentally friendly deliciousness? Yes, please!
Monarch is my favorite restaurant, so I beyond thrilled to have them be a part of this event. People will probably find me at their station trying to get seconds!
Slow Rocket Urban Farm talk about their urban farm in South St. Louis. They will give a presentation on their work during Art/Food.