“As the fall days darken, I feel the holidays nearing. My mind and senses pull towards all things food-driven; recipes, linens, purveying ingredients, wishing for ever larger platters to hold the bounty, imagining table settings spilling over with lavish décor and friends spread around, enjoying, imbibing, laughing. Recollections of meal scenes past, as well as the fortunes and follies of future gatherings, make for inspired dinners. And, in this show, inspired dinners/diners make for inspired subjects in art.”
Crockett, 2016 — Virtually every culture plays host to a wide range of significant nuances when it comes to food and to the act of eating. From the importance and thought behind utensils and place settings, to deep symbolisms and the actual physicality of food, all are put on display in EAT, a group exhibition at Crockett’s Epperson Gallery. With artwork of over two dozen local artists from across all mediums, EAT is comprised of both a traditional gallery exhibition and EAT MARKET, a retail space that brings together culinary crafts and artworks for the table and home. Together, the pieces will play with our perception of food — what forms it takes, how it functions and shapes society, the absurdness of it, and the absolute beauty of dining. The show is co-curated by Kathy Kearns and Anna Noelle Rockwell and includes the work of 22 East Bay artists.
Kearns and Rockwell met earlier this year when Rockwell curated Kearns’ work into a previous exhibition at Epperson Gallery. Both interested in exploring food-based themes, the desire for a show like EAT grew organically. Of the relationship between art and food, Kearns says:
“Our dining experience is enhanced and our satisfaction more complete when food is presented in a thoughtful, artful way. Good restaurants know this, and many dining establishments commission potters to create pieces that compliment their culinary creations. There is nothing that gives me greater satisfaction than hearing from a customer that they reach first for one of my cups every morning for their coffee. It is an intimate connection that potters have with the people that use their work; putting a cup to the lips or cradling a bowl in the hands.”
The duo will collaborate on a series of serving plates painted and printed with inherited recipes and portraits of the chefs who have influenced the artist’s approach to food. Also on view will be contributing artist’s ceramics for the table service, artworks and wares that display thoughtful renditions of meals past, interactive media works focusing on consumption, and various pieces addressing relationships and symbols of dining. Participating artists include:
Jeorgea Beck, Kelly Burlingham, Lara Cannon, Percy Cannon, Bill Concannon, Cora Concannon, Mary Lou Correia, Gary Dinnen, Pam Dixon, Gerald Epperson, Kathy Kearns, Joe Loria, Robin MacLean,Trupti Mannina, Midori, Tony Natsoulas, Jeff Nebeker, Melody Nix, Megan Padilla, Thomas Phinnessee, Anna Noelle Rockwell, Randy Sexton, Patricia Uchill Simmons, Chris Shimu, Robyn Slakey, Ed Tannenbaum, Marybeth Tereszkiewicz, Ruby Wolfman