How our community makes the on-view exhibition their own

A painting is hung on a gallery wall. We can see a dark background, with bright fruit like watermelon and a halved apple on top of bright orange and purple fabric. A magazine peaks out of the corner. To the right of the painting we can see a gallery.

Katherine Ace's Cupid & Psyche with Cut Apple (2010)

To add Oklahoma connections to The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, we asked community members who work in food service, outreach and other food-related industries to react to works on view in the blockbuster exhibition. These conversations draw inspiration from each local’s food practice and The Art of Food work they chose to discuss. The resulting videos play in The Art of Food Learning Gallery and on Oklahoma Contemporary’s YouTube channel, with shorter versions hitting our social networks.

Through these pairings, visitors and viewers can gain a deeper understanding of the art on view — and also learn about the people who feed and nourish our community.

From food sovereignty and Indigenous foodways to comical moments and finding joy, The Art of Food offers topics perfect for pondering. Below find the first round of videos, featuring five women who tackle everything from food trucks to agriculture.

LaTasha Timberlake

Meet LaTasha Timberlake, executive director of Lillian Timber Farms, a nonprofit that creates community gardens and ways of connecting with the land around us. Timberlake responds to Lorna Simpson's C-Ration (1991).

Taylor Martin

Taylor Martin, a local jewelry-and-metalsmithing instructor, owns Plato's Provisions Co., a plant-based food truck in OKC. Martin responds to Hung Liu's Women Working: Millstone (1999).

Angela Chase

Angela Chase founded Flora Bodega, a local worker-owned cooperative and grocer with an outside Freedge (a free food and fridge pantry). Chase responds to Damien Hirst's The Last Supper series (1999).

Chelsey Simpson

Chelsey Simpson — co-owner of Urban Agrarian, a local grocer and market anchor for farmers across Oklahoma — works with hundreds of Oklahoma farmers and food producers. Simpson responds to Katherine Ace’s Crop Circles 2 (2008).

Kristy Jennings

Kristy Jennings is the owner of Urban Teahouse, a local, loose-leaf tea shop based in OKC’s Uptown District. Jennings responds to Claes Oldenburg’s Tea Bag (1966).

Watch our social platforms and YouTube channel for more interviews in the coming weeks! And stop by the Learning Gallery to see them on the big screen, as you create your own Art of Food-related works.

Images:

Installation view of The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, including works by Damien Hirst, David Hockney and Donald Sultan. Photo: AJ Stegall.

Installation view of Katherine Ace's Cupid & Psyche with Cut Apple (2010) in The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. Photo: Ann Sherman.

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