Food Justice Exhibit

Project Leader(s): Sally Brown, WVU Libraries
Collaborator(s): WVU Food Justice Lab, WVU Center for Resilient Communities and Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective

In August 2021, WVU Libraries will launch a major exhibition – Food Justice in Appalachia – in partnership with the WVU Food Justice Lab, the WVU Center for Resilient Communities and Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective. The exhibit will provide an opportunity for campus-community collaboration and promote awareness and education about food inequities in our region, with juried content and professional design, printing and installation. The print exhibition will be housed in the WVU Downtown Campus Library, which typically receives 5,000 visitors per day and will be accompanied by an online exhibition available for anyone in the world to access. The exhibition and all related programming will contextualize the issue with historical Appalachian narratives from students and scholars; art by 16 regional professional artists; community activism of 10 Appalachian nonprofit organizations, programs and collectives; and personal perspectives on food access and traditions via creative writing from regional poets. Outreach to area schools is in process for contributions from students. All of this work will be integrated with educational information on various food justice themes including social justice and food futures. Jurors include Joshua Lohnes, WVU Food Policy Director; Sally Brown, WVU Libraries Exhibit Coordinator; and the WVU Libraries Art in the Libraries Committee. Kelsey Abad, director of Turnrow Appalachian Food Collective, will serve as content consultant for a graduate student online interactive project that will be integrated into the exhibit.