In Feast or Famine

January 20-April 7, 2024

We think about food every day; it is necessary for life and central to our daily routines, commerce, and culture. Throughout history, communities have worked together to forage, hunt and grow food. In good times and bad, feast or famine, food connects people. It is no wonder that food continues to be a prominent subject in art.

In Feast or Famine explores food as story, symbol, and sustenance; it investigates the intersection of food and art, as well as our human inclination to assemble around food with family and friends. Beyond the dining table, working together with food is essential in every community, from the fields and farms to the marketplace and kitchen.

In the kitchen, for non-artists and artists alike, preparing food is mode of creativity that almost everyone practices daily. Food might be our first introduction to “making” something with a process, specific materials and intended outcome, like art. A recipe, menu or meal can be a medium to open the door to self-expression, shared community, and new cultures.

Bringing together the work of twenty-four artists, In Feast or Famine presents drawings, paintings, printmaking, photography, sculpture, collage, installation and video. Artists consider our connections with food within the contexts of history and memory; identity and community; food equity, agriculture, and our environment. From connecting us to our sources of food, to creating awareness about unique cuisines, culinary accoutrements, and customs, artists help us learn about each other, gain appreciation for our differences, and grow closer through our shared nourishment from both food and fine art. You are invited to partake in this visual feast, and savor the opportunities for cultural interchange, creativity, expression and understanding.

--Marianne K. McGrath, Guest Curator

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Companion Meeting Room Exhibition

In conjunction with In Feast or Famine, the Art Center will present a companion exhibition, We Are What We Eat, in our Meeting Room space from February 3 - March 31, 2024. This presentation highlights food traditions from Palo Alto’s eight sister cities, through photography, drawing, and more. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Palo Alto’s Neighbors Abroad, a nonprofit, all-volunteer, civic organization affiliated with Sister Cities International and the City of Palo Alto.

Book List from the Palo Alto City Library

Our friends at the Palo Alto City Library created a special reading list for In Feast or Famine at the link here.

In Feast or Famine