We Are What We Eat: Culinary Heritage of Our Sister Cities
A Special Exhibit at the Palo Alto Art Center
February-March 2024
A Special Exhibit at the Palo Alto Art Center
February-March 2024
In cooperation with Palo Alto arts champion and volunteer curator Harriet Stern, Neighbors Abroad was proud to showcase food-themed art from all eight of our international Sister Cities at the Palo Alto Art Center in early 2024. Through the universal languages of art and photography, We Are What We Eat explored how traditional cuisine and modern variations can tell the story of a country and its culture. From the preparation of traditional Oaxacan food to the downing of whole herrings at a Dutch festival, the food and traditions depicted in the art prompted viewers to consider the role of food in defining a place and its people.
Our opening reception offered more than just a feast for the eyes. In typical Neighbors Abroad form, our scrappy group of volunteer board members pulled together a delectable spread of international small bites. More than 150 community members--including Mayor Greer Stone, Vice Mayor Ed Lauing and City Councilmember Lydia Kou--joined us for the celebration, which included a presentation from our Linköping, Sweden artist, Joanne Posluszny-Hoffsten, who traveled to Palo Alto for the exhibit, along with her whimsical sculpture depicting "Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy, Peas and Lingon Jelly." The Enschede, Netherlands photography club with which we collaborated published a wonderful summary of our exhibit (in Dutch). We Are What We Eat ran concurrently with the Art Center’s exhibition In Feast or Famine, which featured diverse works from artists pondering how food impacts identity, community, history, health, food equity, sustainability, and agriculture.
A huge "thank you" to our event sponsors: The Graduate Hotel, Hassett Hardware, HE&C Tea + Pot, and Taste restaurant.
Pictured above is a portion of "Still Life with White Asparagus" by Heidelberg artist Giuseppe Blasotta. Below is a photo gallery showing some of the highlights of our opening reception and the art submissions we received from our Sister City friends:
Our opening reception offered more than just a feast for the eyes. In typical Neighbors Abroad form, our scrappy group of volunteer board members pulled together a delectable spread of international small bites. More than 150 community members--including Mayor Greer Stone, Vice Mayor Ed Lauing and City Councilmember Lydia Kou--joined us for the celebration, which included a presentation from our Linköping, Sweden artist, Joanne Posluszny-Hoffsten, who traveled to Palo Alto for the exhibit, along with her whimsical sculpture depicting "Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy, Peas and Lingon Jelly." The Enschede, Netherlands photography club with which we collaborated published a wonderful summary of our exhibit (in Dutch). We Are What We Eat ran concurrently with the Art Center’s exhibition In Feast or Famine, which featured diverse works from artists pondering how food impacts identity, community, history, health, food equity, sustainability, and agriculture.
A huge "thank you" to our event sponsors: The Graduate Hotel, Hassett Hardware, HE&C Tea + Pot, and Taste restaurant.
Pictured above is a portion of "Still Life with White Asparagus" by Heidelberg artist Giuseppe Blasotta. Below is a photo gallery showing some of the highlights of our opening reception and the art submissions we received from our Sister City friends:
Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone, far left, Linköping artist Joanne Posluszny-Hoffsten, center, and Sally Beemus
Board member Jeannet Kiessling has many talents, not the least of which is her ability to whip up gorgeous platters of delicious appetizers.
Haringparty collection, 2014-2109, by Richard Morsman (Courtesy of Fotoclub De Zoeker, Enschede, the Netherlands)
Freshly caught shirauo (noodle fish), courtesy of Tsuchiura
Photographs by Fotoclub De Zoeker members Martin Klein Schaarsberg and Henk Busschers depiect the making of Dutch delicacies, including crispy sweet waffles, raisin bread, and doughnuts.
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Marc and Ragni Pasturel, co-founders of the Albi-Palo Alto Sister City relationship, enjoy Albi's contributions to the exhibit.
News coverage of our exhibit in the Albi local press!
Exhibit curator Harriet Stern in front of the Albi, France portion of the exhibit.
Bibinka is a Philippine cake that is made with rice flour, water, and sometimes other ingredients (such as butter, sugar, cheese, or coconut) and that is traditionally cooked between banana leaves.
A photography submission from Yangpu depicts tangyuan filled with fresh meat, red bean paste and black sesame paste.
In this two-photo spread, Albi photographer Sébastien Pioch documents a city contest for the best cassoulet of the region.
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Neighbors Abroad President Sarah Burgess and Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone, a much appreciated supporter of the city's Sister City projects.
News coverage of our exhibit in the Heidelberg local press!
HE&C Tea + Pot served delightful Chinese teas at the opening reception.
Fotos de Tlayudas, 2023, by Ruben Morales (submission from Oaxaca, Mexico)
Photo of Wang Pinru, a student from Yangpu Erlian Primary School, eating his favorite food, tangyuan in sweet soup.
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