#percentforart

[yegarts]

Migratory Paths: Public Art Takes Flight at the Edmonton Convention Centre

Been dreaming of a flight to somewhere fabulous? Well, The Edmonton Convention Centre just might be your ticket. It’s now home to Migratory Paths, a public art installation depicting thousands of golden birds, turning mid-flight over the Convention Centre’s soaring atrium. Its creator, artist and sculptor Catherine Ross, says it’s a venue so fitting, the pairing exceeded even her expectations.

“As I came up the escalator on the morning of installation, the sunlight was hitting the tail-end of the piece from the east, and it was overwhelmingly rewarding. The building needed the piece, and the piece needed the building, which is rare,” said Ross, “and I don’t think it happens often that things so perfectly align.”

How Ross got to that perfect moment was also a journey: “I always knew my process was labour intensive, but this project was over the top on that aspect,” says Ross in hindsight. That’s not surprising considering each ceramic bird was hand-modelled and drilled, triple fired, glazed, and hand-painted. To do the math, that’s 2,032 birds, 735 stainless steel cables, 20,000 hours, and 2 years to complete—all before driving the work from Ross’ studio in Lethbridge, 505 km away, to Edmonton, for half a million guests to enjoy every year.

Looking back, Ross says the process has taught her a few things about herself, too: “One thing I’ve learned after realizing a piece of this scope and nature, is that I have a very dependable, tenacious, and curious nature that continues to propel and motivate my practice on a daily basis. For me, the driving force behind making work is—and always will be—giving it to people to see.”

That gift of public art and the ability to share it is something Ross is especially grateful for after a year of lockdowns and social distancing. Imagining how people might feel looking up at the thousands of sunlit birds brings her great pleasure.

“I hope people will take away a sense of wonder, a feeling of magic, love, joy, optimism, and personal ownership of all these feelings that are potentially evoked when engaging with the piece,” says Ross. “Engaging my audience in a profoundly personal and individual level through the visual integrity of the sculpture and the ideas embedded in the finished works has, and continues to be, a driving force in my studio practice.”

For now, the art installation remains closed due to scheduling and Covid-19 protocols, but the hope is to premiere Migratory Paths to the public this September. Though the wait may seem long, its moment of arrival will poetically mimic the golden canopy of birds themselves, depicted turning mid-flight—a symbol that Ross describes as “the moment of change that precedes movement.”

Migratory Paths is a public art project awarded to Catherine Ross by the Edmonton Arts Council and the Edmonton Convention Centre. Visit the Edmonton Arts Council’s website for all its current calls for submissions.

Click here to familiarize yourself with all health and safety protocols that may be in place for your next visit to the Edmonton Convention Centre.

About Catherine Ross

I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, where I grew up running wild in the North Saskatchewan River Valley. Since 1989, I have lived and worked in Lethbridge enjoying my daily walks in and around the Oldman River Valley. Sculptor, John Geer in his catalogue essay for Riding a Dark Horse, 1988, references both the dynamic edge between art and craft, and the necessity to maintain trust in one’s self as we embrace the unknown in our engagement with a studio practice. His observations remain true today as I continue in my artistic development. There is rarely a project I pursue that is not propelled by trust and driven by the pleasure that comes from making work and working. Joy and excitement drive my practice as I explore the materials, ideas, processes and techniques of art and art making. I create sculptural works that are accessible, intelligent, and beautiful with the potential to give joy and excitement to the viewer.

[mtaartsdesign]

Congratulations to Olalekan Jeyifous and Amanda Williams on receiving the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs inaugural She Built NYC commission to create a new monument in Prospect Park honoring Shirley Chisholm! Here’s a preview of Jeyifous’ #MTAArts commission to be installed later this spring at the 8th Avenue (N) station in Brooklyn. His work synthesizes cultural expression in the form of vernacular architecture and food, connecting it to the people who live and work in this diverse Brooklyn neighborhood.

[nycdesignarchive]

LGBTQ artist Scott Burton designed entryway lights, steel benches, wind vanes and wooden ottomans to frame the refurbished Sheepshead Bay fishing piers. The piers were completed in 1994, five years after Burton passed away due to complications from AIDS / "Design Team Project" (1994) by Scott Burton located in Sheepshead Bay Piers, Brooklyn. @percentforartnyc

[trascapades]

👏🏿🖤☝🏿🎨#ArtIsAWeapon #NewArt #PublicArt by 👨🏿‍🎨 @hankwillisthomas, commisioned by @nyculture: "Unity, 2019...we installed my first permanent public art sculpture in the city I’m from! It’s at the intersection of Tillary & Adams at the end of the #BrooklynBridge. So epic and surreal. I’m so honored and humbled to see this dream become a reality. I’m truly grateful to all of the incredible people who made this piece of reality through so many years of hard work and collaboration! ☝🏿 Reposted from @mocada_museum - Welcome "Unity," a new, 22-foot bronze sculpture created by the revered #HankWillisThomas ... "This sculpture is a homage to, and celebration of, the unique and multifaceted character of the borough of Brooklyn,” Mr. Thomas said to The New York Times. “The spirit of Brooklyn has always been about upward mobility and connection to #roots.” The piece, which stands at the intersection of Tillary and Adams Streets near the Brooklyn bridge, features a raised arm with an index finger pointing to the sky. Originally called, "We're No. #1", the sculpture was commissioned by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs program entitled Percent for Art, which enables artists across a variety of mediums to create new public works that "reflect the diversity of New York City." #Bronze #Sculpture #NYCArt #PercentForArt #mocadafirsts #creators #BlackArt #BlackArtists #africandiaspora #BlackGirlArtGeeks🤓 #TraScapades #ArtIsAWeapon (at Brooklyn Bridge) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4yNVUZg4wY/?igshid=1okx6i37de5q6

[sandrabouguerch]

#boltonathome micro arts commission SIGNAL Concept by artist Sandra Bouguerch @neo_artists #workinprogress #preconception in uncertain times #brexit @percentforart Collaborated performatively with the Polish community #bolton. Many thanks to H&H Family Centre and Dorota, Bernadetta, Bozena, Vero, Kriss, Katie. Also A. Micaluk, M. Micaluk Traffic lights metaphor #flow #control #movement. Red STOP. Amber PROCEED WITH CAUTION. Green GO #signalbolton #percentforart #humanvalue #respect #diversityandinclusion #culturalgrowth #overseasworkers #powerofcontribution #communication #friendship (at Bolton) https://www.instagram.com/p/Buww1wTFsmg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c55fui6up2py

[pencilcasedates]

Olafur Eliasson spoke about his work and then some of us went with him to check out his installation. I have been to his exhibition in Seoul and from “experiencing” Rainbow Assembly, I had been wondering if I would ever get to see or engage with any of his other works. Seeing this work tonight, I could imagine what it was like for the viewers of his Ice Car installation (where viewers had to enter a freezing container, and “endure” his art). It was a particularly cold night, and the coldness stopped me (and many others) from looking at the work longer. We retreated into the nano building and chatted while sipping on freeflow hot chocolate. (This challenge of the “cold physical encounter vs the visual encounter”, was probably not intentional in this particular piece) It was interesting to watch people’s behaviour and movement - looking up and slowly navigating the space through the reflections. It was magical to share a space with Olafur Eliasson, under his own work. #olafureliasson #northwestpassage #mit #mitList #percentforart magical event organised by MIT List Art Center

[publicartarchive]

Back to School: Public Art on College Campuses

Written By: Elysian Koglmeier on behalf of the Public Art Archive

Colleges are gardens that nurture the growth of our future generations. Young minds attend college to learn and prepare themselves for the world ahead of them.

The arts are a part of that influential growth. Like rainfall to plants, the arts nourish the minds and hearts of students and the entire campus community.

Public art is a wonderful way to introduce students that may never step foot inside an art studio or art history classroom to the cultural enrichment the arts provide.  

You may disagree with me, but I believe it’s not important whether a student likes the public art work. Yes, it’s great when students take pride in their school’s collection. But, I believe the significance of the work comes from the fact that students have to express why they like the work or not. Firstly, noticing the artwork encourages participation in public space. Secondly, students have to think, engage, and participate in an active dialogue. Public art collections on campuses expose students to diverse perspectives and visual expressions, and gives students the space and opportunity to develop judgments of such creative expression.  

And it’s not just for the students...the faculty, staff, visitors, and community members also have access to the collection.

Public art also plays a key part in the identity of the school. It activates and enlivens locations on campus and ultimately contributes to placemaking. Most works in college collections are permanent and sculptural, but higher ed institutions are disrupting these expectations. Consider Brown University’s sound piece, Advice from a Former Student (2010) by Nina Katchadourian or, Guilford College’s enormous stick installation by Patrick Dougherty. I have to note that I first fell in love with the participatory element of public art when my sculpture class worked alongside Patrick Dougherty to install Middlebury College’s, So Inclined, in 2007.

How are college public art collections organized and funded?

Most universities have a Percent-for-Art program and a Public Art Committee comprised of some combination of faculty, students, trustees and staff. If universities have a museum, the objects may be accessioned in the museum collection.

Here are some exemplary collections that can be found in the Public Art Archive:

Human Puzzle by BJ Krivanek. University of Florida Lake Nona Research & Academic Center. Photo Courtesy BJ Krivanek.

University of Florida’s Art in State Buildings program is a component of Florida’s Art in State Buildings initiative. It is directed by UF's public art administrator and is overseen by the state’s cultural agency – the Division of Cultural Affairs. UF’s Art in State Buildings program has over 155 works of art in its collection that extends throughout the state. The program takes great efforts to care for and preserve its collection; condition reports for each piece of art are completed every three years.

Public art preservation will be discussed at this year’s WESTAF Symposium: The Future History of Public Art. It’s still not too late to register as an observer!

Procession of Ants by David Bowen. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Photo courtesy Richard McCoy and Associates.

The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis collection is scattered throughout a 509-acre campus. The works can easily be enjoyed by community members since the campus is next to hot-spot destinations like the Indiana Avenue Cultural District, the Indianapolis Zoo, Downtown Canal Walk and White River State Park. This collection presents a wonderful example of how public art can help unify the “Town and Gown” relationship between the University and its local community.

The Herron School of Art + Design at IUPUI recently brought "Horizons," an outdoor installation of work by internationally known Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir, to its campus. Twelve life-size figures cast in iron and glass “walked” the path along the University Library. The eighteen month installation ends this month.

 The Victor by Benjamin Victor. Peru State College. Photo Courtesy Staff of the Nebraska State Public Art Collection.

Nebraska State Public Art Collection receives funding from the State of Nebraska’s 1% for Art, which has generated over $3 million in artwork for Nebraska’s state buildings, state colleges and the University of Nebraska system.

Sculptures on Nebraska college campuses reflect the different interests of its student body. For instance, Peru State College has a nostalgic bronze sculpture of a 1960’s football player - The Victor, by Benjamin Victor, whereas Chadron State College pays homage to mythology with a large stone sculpture - The Muses, by David Clark.

 Primordial Garden by Adela Andea. Texas Tech University, Human Sciences Building, Lubbock, Texas. Photo courtesy Adela Andea.

The Public Art Program at Texas Tech University System started in 1998 to enrich the campus environments and extend the educational mission at all of the universities. More than 100 works have been added to the campuses through the program’s one-percent-for-art funding. The works range from bronze sculptures in front of dorms to metal forms on building exteriors to LED lit installations hanging from ceilings to a live agave plant rooted in a garden.

Are you an administrator for a public art collection on a campus? We welcome you to submit your collection to the Public Art Archive to help increase the exposure of your meaningful program!

[randyburman]

#BIGlie #thebiglie #publicspaceart #aestheticsofplace #publicart #publicartinstallation #artinpublicplaces #publicartforourtimes #publicartmiami #proposed #publicartprojectforCynicsPark #proposedpublicartproject #miami #percentforart #bayfrontpark #or #washingtondc #randyburman (at Miami, Florida)

[phillyprotest]

RT @CreativePHL: Did you hear? Philadelphia's first freestanding statue depicting a young African-American girl has been commissioned through the #PercentForArt program. The public artwork will be installed at Smith Playground in South Philly. https://t.co/8XFn03SYHL https://t.co/AOtKXIDxLa

[yegarts]

Meet the Artists: Butler Memorial Park

Artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett. Photo supplied. 

In late 2019, the EAC received submissions of interest from artists across Canada in response to a call to artists for Butler Memorial Park. This opportunity comes as a result of the redevelopment and enhancement of the area. The improvement of the park space is intended contribute to the continuing revitalization of Jasper Place and surrounding area while supporting goals of safety, connections, and community building. The new design will also maintain the historical context of the park’s origins and integrate with the current plans for improving the adjacent Jasper Place Transit Centre.    

Calgary-based artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett have been selected for the project by a committee of artists, City staff and community members. Brown and Garrett have already begun their work, a period of research and engagement prior to creating their concept. This focused time to learn and connect represents a shift in the EAC’s approach to public art calls.

“We’re adjusting our process to allow the artists time to be immersed in the project before they generate a concept,” says David Turnbull, Director of Public Art for the EAC. “In the past, artists have done a lot of the creative work just to apply to a call. This approach invests in the artists’ time and will lead to work that is site-based and grounded in the community.”

Photos (top): CARBON COPY by Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett; (bottom): CLOUD at Nuit Blanche Calgary. Photo: Doug Wong.

For Butler Park, the vision is to have artwork that is discoverable and playful, an obvious strength of Brown and Garrett’s. Their project in Edmonton’s Brewery District, CARBON COPY, was voted People’s Choice at the Edmonton Urban Design Awards in 2019, with jurors noting their innovative and playful approach.

“We're excited to be developing a new public artwork for Butler Memorial Park,” says Brown. “As the neighbourhood changes, this public park takes on a more important role as a place between things: between transit lines, walking routes, neighbourhoods, homes, and destinations.”

Garrett notes that this time of increased isolation during the pandemic also shaped their process. “We've continued to think about the importance of public space to connection and community identity.”

“The new design of the Park will help make it a better place for resting, reflecting, waiting, playing, and being,” Brown adds. “We look forward to learning more about West Jasper Place as we continue developing a public artwork for your community.”

For updates about this project, and to learn more about the City of Edmonton’s Public Art Collection, visit edmontonpublicart.ca.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett (Calgary, Canada) work with diverse mediums and materials, ranging from artificial light to re-appropriated urban debris, often resulting in public sculptures and installations.

Beckoning viewers with interactive contexts and novel materials, their projects invite strangers to share in experiential moments, prompting collaborative viewership. Using mass-produced objects as a reference to cities as an immeasurable quantity of materials, people, and situations, Caitlind & Wayne evoke the possibility of renewed understanding through a critical shift in perspective. Beautiful, subversive, playful, and radically inclusive, their work emphasizes transformation above all else.

Their collaborative artworks have appeared at Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow, Russia), Japan Alps Art Festival (Omachi, Japan), Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis, USA), Pera Museum (Istanbul, Turkey), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa, Canada), and others. In 2013, CLOUD was short-listed for an Innovation by Design Award by Fast Company.

This blog post expands on a story featured in the Stony Plain Road Area Newsletter. 

[percentforartnyc-blog]

In honor of #VeteransDay, here is Amy Cheng's 2002 Percent for Art commission "Seen through the Layers of Time" in the auditorium of PS 58 in Maspeth, Queens. Also known as the "School of Heroes," PS 58 is dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives in 9/11 related emergency services. Cheng's murals pay homage to those workers as well as to those who served the nation portrayed in a timeline of American history including the American Revolution, Civil War, World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement. Learn more: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/panyc/chenga.shtml #ThankYouVeterans

[thegraymarket-blog]

Popularity Contest

Rendering of Ohad Meromi, “The Sunbather.” Image credit: Forward.

Earlier this week, DNA Info reported that New York’s City Council had approved a bill that would strengthen the community review hurdle in Gotham’s public art commission process. And ironically, this populist move risks replicating the same conditions that have been undermining visual innovation in blue chip galleries and elite art fair booths for the past several years.

Sponsored by Long Island City councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, the new legislation would apply only to works originating from the Percent for Art initiative--a program mandating that one percent of the budget for "eligible City-funded construction projects be spent on [site-specific] artwork for City facilities.” But I now fear for those projects like I fear for teenagers learning to drive on the lunatic freeways of Los Angeles.

For clarity’s sake, I should stress that the Percent for Art process already demands a review by the community board appropriate to the new artwork’s intended destination. Van Bramer’s contribution--assuming NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio signs it into law--simply beefs up the existing covenant. 

The bill would require that A) the public be formally notified about Percent for Art’s upcoming plans, B) the community board hearings be opened to the public, and C) said hearings be announced in the community at least two weeks in advance. So, to steal a phrase I’ve used in my ad world freelancing many times, we’re talking about an evolution here, not a revolution.

Still, this strikes me as an instance where siphoning power from the few to the many seems like more of a risk than a reward. The bill was allegedly spawned in response to the furor over Brooklyn-based sculptor Ohad Meromi’s The Sunbather, which is currently slated for installation on Jackson Avenue in 2016. As Sarah Cascone of artnet news noted, commenters have already taunted Meromi’s piece by comparing it to “Gumby’s grandmother” and a heap of “pink poop.” And here the industry cries out that good art criticism is dead...

Contemporary public art pieces tend to meet this type of mockery no matter what their form or venue. As I wrote about in the Gray Market newsletter a couple of weeks ago, New Yorkers attacked Teresita Fernández’s Fata Morgana, a freshly unveiled cloud bank of golden, mirrored desks at Madison Square Park, for causing too much noise during installation and blocking out the view of too many trees once complete. A similar story is playing out in Sacramento surrounding Jeff Koons’s latest Coloring Book sculpture, destined for the city’s forthcoming public plaza despite the uproar. And let’s not forget the most infamous Big Apple backlash against a piece of public art: Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc, the monumental sculpture removed from its eight-year home in Manhattan’s Foley Federal Plaza in 1989 and left to rust in a Maryland warehouse forevermore due to public outcry and subsequent litigation.

What does all this have to do with the art market? Ask a healthy cross-section of art worlders about the biggest disappointments snaking their way through the industry’s soil during our current sales surge, and you’re likely to hear about the proliferation of “zombie formalism” or, more broadly, “art-fair art.” Work that’s pleasingly decorative and instantly consumable, but ultimately hollow. All icing, no cake. The summer action movies of visual culture.

As I argued in the piece linked just above, one of the main forces driving this phenomenon is the accelerated pace of sales in today’s art market. With more high and ultra-high net worth individuals than ever competing for pieces on the ‘buy’ side, and with more galleries than ever trying to build empires on the ‘sell’ side, few of the players involved have the time to dig beneath the surface of the pieces in front of them. They need either an established brand so undeniable or an exterior layer so graphically appealing that they can be comfortable saying ‘yes’ before their nearest competitor does.

Van Bramer’s bill effectively creates the same incentives for future Percent for Art proposals. Having to win over a public that’s more likely to react on sight than reflect at length means that savvy artists will tailor their concepts to prioritize surface over substance--in other words, to become the permanent, public embodiments of “art-fair art.” After all, landing a commission of this scale is a huge boost to any artist’s career. And as we know, there’s no more lucrative time than now to raise your profile in the fine art game. The ends justify the creative concessions made to grab them. 

But innovation suffers. Henry Ford once famously said that if he had polled his customers about what they wanted before he introduced them to the Model T, they would have asked for a faster horse. Similarly, Arthur Schopenhauer once declared that “talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see.” Though it’s only a small blow, Van Bramer’s legislation strikes at the kneecaps of genius--and in the process, risks limiting New Yorkers to nothing greater than shiny, graphical, art-fair-level talent. They may have a greater voice in the process, but I wonder how much art history will be hurt by their statements.  

COMMENTS:

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[phillyprotest]

RT @CreativePHL: Did you hear? Philadelphia's first freestanding statue depicting a young African-American girl has been commissioned through the #PercentForArt program. The public artwork will be installed at Smith Playground in South Philly. https://t.co/8XFn03SYHL https://t.co/AOtKXIDxLa

Did you hear? Philadelphia's first freestanding statue depicting a young African-American girl has been commissioned through the #PercentForArt program. The public artwork will be installed at Smith Playground in South Philly. https://t.co/8XFn03SYHL pic.twitter.com/AOtKXIDxLa

— Creative Phila (@CreativePHL) January 4, 2019

Source: https://twitter.com/PhillyProtest —

[artspracticum]

Week 8 - August 01, 2014  The last day of NYAP began with a trip to artist B. Wurtz's studio. B. Wurtz talked about his experiences at Cal Arts with Baldessari, his collections of everyday objects, and the many sculptures found throughout his home.  After, students met with Director of Percent for Art, Sara Reisman. Reisman shared some of her favorite projects and talked about her experiences collaborating with artists.

In the evening, NYAP had their final farewell taco dinner at Prospect Park. 

[yegarts]

Myth, metadata, and community: Creating public art for Capilano Library

Untitled (Capilano Schema) by Sergio Serrano and Alexander Stewart. Photo by provided by the artists. 

“Libraries are a radical concept,” say Edmonton artists Sergio Serrano and Alexander Stewart. Caught during the final stages of fabrication for their artwork for Capilano Library, the duo dove into a spirited discussion of their project, Untitled (Capilano Schema), which connects people, data, technology, and visual art to tell a nuanced story of the Capilano community. The piece is being installed over the coming weeks, suspending abstract objects sourced from the communities surrounding the library, in the facility’s community room and common area.

“This idea of libraries as radical comes from the current global conversation about access to information and democratized tools,” says Alexander Stewart. “Libraries are also going through a technological shift, becoming maker spaces. So, anyone can go in and access any type of information or tool.”

Capilano community members were invited to bring valued objects to workshops facilitated by the artists who collected data about each item. In keeping with the maker space concept, the artists then worked with participants to create 3D scans of their object using readily available technology.

In the end, Serrano & Stewart scanned about 200 objects or pieces of data. That number shrank to +/- 14 as they worked to determine which pieces would be most representative of themes, and which would become part of the final artwork. To map connections and stories, the artists organized the words of the community into spreadsheets, then fed them through a Markov machine learning system, which presented the data back in a new form. The artists then used that data to create an image map connecting the objects through commonalities of theme, materiality, sentiment, and story.

“There’s the commonality of people going to Disneyland or even the Bahamas and bringing home a souvenir,” explains Stewart. “That became representative of a time and place, a set of values linked with connection to family as well as geography.”

“We also tried to balance the different ways people represent sentiment,” continues Serrano. “You have mass-produced objects that are deeply sentimental to the owner alongside unique objects that were knitted by hand or made by a child in an art class. We found exciting connections and contrasts in the data we pulled out to resolve the final set of objects.”

Working representationally meant that the artists weren't concerned with creating minutely accurate models of the objects.

Serrano and Stewart with the model of a community member’s cowboy hat. Photo by EAC. 

“The cowboy hat is interesting because it represents a specific object story from the library itself,” continues Stewart. “Essentially the Library became a person with a story. There’s a patron who is there every day and is quite a tall man who always wears a cowboy hat, so you can see him as he walks through the stacks with this hat that bobs over the books. One of the librarians was talking about the project and told him he had to participate. He said he didn’t know what to bring so they said, ‘You should just scan your hat!’ The object is iconic, but also very specific.”

The artwork’s themes and meaning are not necessarily dependent upon the physical objects say Serrano and Stewart, because the artwork’s story lies within the initial community-based concept and the process that generated the final form.

[yegarts]

Planting new roots with Platanos

(Platanos by Michelle Campos Castillo, at the Belvedere Transit Centre. Photo: EAC)  

There are many ways to find a way home - Dorothy had ruby slippers, Edmonton artist Michelle Campos Castillo has green plantains. An homage to her cultural heritage and the many communities that call north east Edmonton home, Platanos now graces the newly opened Belvedere station.

“Food is important to our well-being. Outside of the necessity of eating, it is a reminder of ‘home’ or where we come from. It’s something I turn to when I need to be grounded and remember who I am.”

Born in El Salvador, Campos Castillo and her family arrived in the early 1990s, and Edmonton’s north end quickly became home for the youngster. She picked up English quickly while eagerly absorbing new experiences, places, friends, and cultural mores. “Looking back, I was so young. The rest of my family had a better sense of who they were. They were always able to hold on to parts of the culture whereas I was floating around for a long time in terms of who I was and who I wanted to be.”

An integral part of the immigrant experience, food is one of the first things sought out in a new place as part of maintaining identity, but as a community becomes more diverse, the need to substitute ingredients becomes less. “Food was a huge adjustment and a source of shame because mine didn’t look like the perfect cut up little sandwiches everyone else had. My mum would send me to school with beans and plantains or rice and I just wanted a meatloaf sandwich.”

Campos Castillo says her success at integrating into “Canadian” culture had a price – in her early twenties, she was disconnected, alone, and just eating ‘random things.” A phone call with her mother changed that. “She told me to cook a pot of beans. I was a bit broke and beans are super cheap. I don’t know what it was – the experience of cooking something I grew up with or a DNA thing, but [the beans] awakened memories and feelings that brought a sense of comfort to my body; it’s comfort food that is meant to nourish on so many levels.”

The green banana-like food is part of many cuisines – African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American. “You notice the overlap of cultures and their markers more, which is why I chose the plantain as my inspiration. We’re all living outside our home regions and it’s so beautiful how these things bring us together. I wanted to honour that.”

Creating Platanos was a homecoming she says, “Part of my journey of learning how to live between cultures is finding my way back to those cultural markers that I ignored for the sake of surviving. There’s a big cultural push with people younger than me who are honouring their cities and the things they grew up with. I am inspired by that pride because for so long I did not carry that with me. Platanos is part of paying homage to that.”

(Platanos by Michelle Campos Castillo. Photo: EAC)