Soul Plates | Passing the Culture
CREATING THE TOGETHERNESS OF A SHARED MEAL VIRTUALLY THROUGH SMELL, TASTE, SOUND & STORYTELLING.
By December 2020, everyone was feeling the weight of the on-going COVID pandemic and longing to gather around the table like holidays past. We set out to find a way to connect with one another, as we would around the dinner table, in what had become a virtual world.
To do this, we invited guests to travel deeper into the diverse flavors and traditions that define cultures, communities and individuals by reflecting on the idea of “soul food” and our connection to cooking and eating as a form of resistance, an act of joy, an expression of love—an essential part of who we are at our core.
Throughout the month of February, we collected stories and shared art during a month-long exhibition at the Annex Gallery centered on food memories. From the Annex, we hosted virtual dinner gatherings with a new host each week representing a different culture. Each host prepared a meal and led an intimate conversation.
Thank you to the many, many people who joined us each Wednesday at the table with kind hearts, open minds, and an insatiable appetite for deeper understanding.
Partners:
Contemporary Arts Center - Cincinnati & The Annex Gallery
Dinner Hosts: Nickey Stevenson, Nav Lekhi, Seena Chriti, Derrick Braziel, Duy Nguyen, Bao Nguyen, Danny Yant, & Mike Dew
Sponsors:ArtsWave,Kroger,Cincinnati Development Fund,African American Chamber of Commerce, & Urban Sites
In The News:
“Cincy Nice & the CAC: Passing the culture together with Soul Plates”, Movers & Makers
“Soul Plates Offers Cultural Food Experience at Home”, WCPO 9
“Nine Black History Month Events to Participate in This February”, WCPO 9
