Food for Thought is a project I worked on as part of my semester-long internship doing curatorial and preparatory work for the museum. Knowing that the next exhibition in the PAC gallery would be about climate change, when asked to develop an interactive exhibit incorporating one or more works from the museum’s collection, I wanted to think about growing food as a vehicle for both climate resiliency and community building. I believe that if you can learn the skills to grow your own food and feed your own community, you can help separate yourself and the people around you from the profit-driven systems of food production that are contributing to climate change.

When choosing artworks for the exhibition, I wanted to pick pieces that would invoke ideas about the act of planting and growing food but also about hope for the future and mutual aid. Every piece on the wall is by a printmaker. This is purposeful, as printmaking is often associated with radical movements due to its capacity for multiplicity and relatively low production cost. At the end of the day, I wanted to share the idea that there is hope for our planet and our communities if we can collectively work to make them healthier through radical, organized action like community gardens.  

- Elise Moore, GVSU Art Museum Exhibition Intern