Food is art. Food tells a story. Food is community.
Central Florida artist and influencer Bess Auer is creating a multimedia exhibit telling stories of the community through art. One medium that Bess works with is food. Gourds, to be exact. But not just any gourds; these gourds are dried over two years to create a hard wood. Bess then sculpts clay faces to create whimsical characters who, through augmented reality, have a lot to say about life.
As part of the lead-up to the exhibit, Bess also spoke with high-profile members of the Orlando community to get their thoughts on a wide range of topics, including Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s President & CEO Derrick Chubbs, who spoke about community.
“Acting like a community means we act like a coalition, and we speak with one voice. We speak with a courageous voice when it’s not popular,” says Derrick. He also goes on to mention how the face of hunger has changed and how the need changes with it.
If you’d like to hear more of Derrick’s story and how the community can help fight hunger, please click video above to watch his full conversation with Bess.
The interviews and the gourds will be shared during Gourd-Geous Reflections at Mills Art Gallery in Orlando. Opening on Thursday, June 1, the multimedia art exhibit will run through June 30. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the art will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank’s mission of fighting hunger and feeding hope.
