Spatula Diaries: Baton Rouge Gallery exhibition provokes discussion about food systems

Toward the end of a lively discussion that spanned school lunches, GMOs and the terminal “freshness” of Hostess cupcakes, Fullness Organic Farm founder Grant Guidroz gave my favorite comment of the day.

“I’m not looking ‘up’ for the solution,” Guidroz said, about undoing the legacy of policies that solely benefit mega-farms and have contributed to obesity. Instead, he believes it will come from a growing number of consumers committed to buying locally produced nutrient-dense foods.

Guidroz, who sells organic produce with his wife Allison at the Red Stick Farmers Market and through Indie Plate, was one of six panelists who participated in the Baton Rouge Gallery’s ARTiculate event this past Saturday, which I moderated. The other panelists included Slow Food Baton Rouge co-founder and LSU professor of horticulture Carl Motsenbocker, City Pork corporate chef Ryan André and artists Frankie Gould, Ross Jahnke and David Scott Smith.

The artists’ works are now on display in a new exhibition at the gallery called “Before the Fork,” which examines what we eat and how it impacts us. Artist Diane Hanson is also part of the show.

During the panel discussion, the artists shared their points of view in creating paintings and sculpture that explore a range of perspectives about food systems. Smith, who grew up on a farm in eastern Washington, drew from his disillusionment with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by creating a collection of three-dimensional creatures gone wrong, their bodies grafted with mass-produced foods like chicken wings and corn. Gould’s works presented bold, hopeful presentations of Louisiana agricultural commodities, including edamame, sugar cane, peppers, chickens and others. And Jahnke’s works examined popular foods like burgers, fries and fortune cookies, items so commonly consumed they’ve become iconographic.

This was no dry gallery discussion. Jahnke, despite having an ample garden and backyard chickens, confessed to routine gas station breakfasts, and the difficulty of wanting to eat well, while being a time-strapped married father of three. Carl Motsenbocker talked about the importance of changing the food system by empowering more individuals to grow and farm in their own communities. Chef Ryan André talked about the gravity of letting fine local ingredients shine, knowing how hard they are to produce. He also mentioned the honest challenge of wanting to source local but needing to keep costs in line with patrons’ expectations.

This exhibition is right in line with national trends in looking at the intersection of food and culture. “Before the Fork” will give you fresh ways to think about food systems. The exhibition is open until May 26 and is free during gallery hours.

Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and the author of Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey.