Smith College Art Building

Jannotta Gallery Exhibition of Five College Advances Studio Art Seminar

Signs of Solastalgia

Nov 11 - 22

Breaking the Glass Bottle (2024)

“Breaking the Glass Bottle” explores the hidden stories behind coffee, a staple in my life as a college student. I hadn’t questioned where my coffee came from or who produced it until recently. Living in a first-world country, it’s easy to overlook the labor—and often exploitation—behind the goods we consume. In Brazil’s coffee industry, for example, labor brokers recruit workers, many of whom are migrant laborers unaware of their rights. These workers face unsafe conditions, grueling hours, and poor housing, yet receive little support from farm owners.

In this piece, I trace coffee’s origins and highlight the lives of those who cultivate it. I’ve drawn from journal articles and historical sources to present a fuller picture. The coffee grounds in “Breaking the Glass Bottle” represent the coffee consumed in three weeks by five college students—a visual reminder of our dependence on this labor-intensive product.