The WVU Food Justice Lab and WVU Libraries’ Arts in the Libraries committee will host an online presentation on Friday, Jan. 22, at noon, to launch “Food Justice in Appalachia,” a curated art exhibition that addresses food justice.
“The Food Justice Lab is thrilled to support WVU Libraries with an art exhibit that will elevate the rich histories of Appalachian food heritage, explore the inequities presently coded into our food system and help us to imagine a more just and resilient food future for our region,” said Joshua Lohnes, WVU food policy research director.
“Food Justice in Appalachia” will open in the Downtown Campus Library this summer. To spark the discussion, Lohnes will give the virtual presentation on food justice in Appalachia as part of the Art in the Libraries Virtual Program Series.
Register for the Zoom presentation.
Sign language interpreting and captioning services are available for participants who are deaf or hard of hearing. Request an interpreter or captioner by contacting jason.kapcala@mail.wvu.edu at least three business days prior to the event.
In addition, the Art in the Libraries Committee is seeking content from scholars, artists, community groups and practitioners for the curated art exhibit. Submission deadline is Feb. 1. Find details and the submission.
“We want to bring together artists, story-tellers, students, and scholars to highlight the intersecting values that shape our foodways through the lens of regional food activists working to address hunger and build alternative food futures through various media in this collaboratively curated exhibition,” said Sally Brown, libraries exhibit coordinator.
The production and distribution of food shapes landscapes, defines economic systems and informs cultural practices. Over the past fifty years, the corporate capture of our food system has reinforced gender, race and class inequities in fields and processing factories, kitchens and grocery stores, between households and across neighborhoods.
Later plans for the “Food Justice in Appalachia'' exhibit include travel throughout the state and archiving in the Research Repository. This is the fourth large, cross-disciplinary and collaboratively curated exhibition coordinated by WVU Libraries.
Sponsorships to help the production of this exhibit are available starting at $100.
Contact Libraries Development Director Paula Martinelli at paula.martinelli@mail.wvu.edu for more information.