Project Summary

Driving Question: How can we create a sustainable and inclusive food system that promotes cultural diversity, health, and social equity?

Driving Question Answer: We can create a sustainable and inclusive food system by supporting local and diverse farmers, reducing food waste, making healthy food affordable for everyone, and respecting different food cultures. 

For this project, in Visual Art Comp II, and in World Literature, we demonstrated cultural syncretism historically in our ceramics, as well as personally with our group recipe cards. The different assignments we completed while doing this project are linked below

Ceramics - Visual Arts

The goal of this project was to create a ceramics piece/ table setting that demonstrates the cultural syncretism of the Columbian Exchange by focusing on the exchange of goods between Africa, the Americas, and Europe. My work included a bowl with African design to symbolize Africa, a tomato to represent the Americas, and a knife as part of a table setting, reflecting the trade of food and tools. My group decided on these pieces because they each play a significant role in the Columbian Exchange. Cultural exchange is represented through the bowl, agricultural trade through the tomato, and everyday life with the knife. I used techniques we learned in class such as pinching, sliping, and scoring to shape the clay and added details to reflect each item's cultural context. What worked well was capturing the historical significance of the objects, but I would have spent more time adding more food and possibly incorporated more elements from the cultures involved if I had more time.

Recipe Card - World Literature

During this section of the Food For Thought project, we got into groups and thought of a recipe that incorporated ingredients that represent each group members culture and identity. My group chose to create a recipe for churros, as well as dipping sauces that were made of fruits that each represented our identity. We used this project as an opportunity to explore the connection that identity has to food, as well as what identity means to us on a personal level.