We all have a story about food that goes as far back as childhood or as recent as several months ago.
Image: This is a picture of me with my dad. I believe this was my first birthday cake.
What is your foodstory?
Foodstories -We Are What We Eat:
Intersections Between Food, Memory, Identity, and Our Stories
A Project led by artist, author and National Arts Strategies – New England
Creative Community Fellow Shanta Lee
Share your story!
To share a story or memory that brings together food and self/identity, Click Here
To share a story or memory that brings together food, race and class, Click Here
Overview
The purpose of foodstories is to explore the idea thatfood can be a bridge to who we are as individuals and as a human collectivewhile also creating community. Our relationship to food intersects with oursense of identity, culture, class, religion, and other aspects of our humanidentity.
Project Goals
*Engage community members through partnerships with schools, institutions, and community organizations, focusing on gathering stories connected to aspects of food, memory, and identity.
*Inspire personal reflection and dialogue about the role food has played across our life spans within different parts of our lives.
*Create an artifact that will be shown in a public exhibition that brings together food, memory, and identity. This exhibition will include other artists and will feature the collected foodstories.
Approach
Different approaches will be used to gather stories to ensure accessibility. Due to the range of potential stories — as food memories may be rooted in the celebratory or tied to trauma — individuals can choose to remain anonymous. Story collection will take place via:
*Story submissions at various physical locations (libraries, cafes, schools, bookstores, etc.)
*Community events
*Online story submission
We all have a food story. For some, these stories are rooted in celebration connected to memories that we hold dear and continue to revisit or share with others. For others, the door that links food to memory and identity is not to be opened or revisited due to the sadness, shame, and other trauma associated with it.
As a result, when sharing your story, you can choose to remain anonymous.
How will my story be shared?
The information shared from these stories (again, individuals can choose to remain anonymous) will be featured in a multi-media display. This multi-media will consist of either a short film featured on a screen and/or audio paired with an original soundscape designed by another artist. If you wish to share an audio recording of your story, you can let us know when you submit your story.
Want to share your food story or memory?
Click Here to share a story about food and self/identity
Click here to share a story about food, race and class