details

Awarded with a College of Visual and Performing Arts research grant, my research partner Emily Setelin and I embarked on a semester long journey of exploring food culture in the Shenandoah Valley. We were poised with questions like, "What does food mean to people?" and "How do the diverse backgrounds of Harrisonburg effect what and how people eat here?"

To start answering these kinds of questions and engage a dialogue on this topic, we founded kinfed, a weekly, open-to-all, dialogue based potluck event. Every Wednesday at 7, between 25–50 people would gather in a small backyard in downtown Harrisonburg, knelt around a table made of doors and egg crates. The events were open to anyone and everyone, as long as some type of contribution would be made.

Weekly themes were developed around concepts like veganism, sustainability, locally sourced ingredients, family recipes, and much more. These themes drove conversations and the types of dishes people brought. Mini workshops were also held occasionally, most notably our screenprinting pop-up. The first 30 people to arrive received a free canvas reusable shopping bag and then were shown and allowed to pull a silkscreen, printing the logo on their own bag.

interdisciplinary design. boldly new.