The theme for Black History Month 2024 is “African Americans and the Arts”. The Center for Environmental Farming System (CEFS) Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) is excited to announce a new, yet grounded-in-history community research project focused on food systems and the arts.
In a groundbreaking initiative to bridge racial equity and institutional change related to food systems, a group of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BlPOC) food systems researchers, artists, and visionary leaders are facilitating a transformative community research journey known as “Art as Method.”
Assembled in early 2023 by Bevelyn Ukah, Director of CEFS CORE and artist, this team is tasked with responding to Outcome 4, one of five planned outcomes of the project grant. Outcome 4 focuses on creating clear pathways for racial equity and policy transformation within large institutions as well as fostering personal and professional development among BIPOC food systems practitioners. In juxtaposition to and in an effort to heal from the historical extraction of data from communities in research, “Art as Method” is modeling and studying how art can provide limitless possibilities for people to share their stories, transcend language differences, and ultimately shift culture and institutions towards racial equity and justice.
While bolstered by grant funding, the project methodology and team member collaborations have been years in the making. In fact, Ukah credits several of the project team members with inspiring her own journey into food systems and youth leadership work many years ago, including through the Food Youth Initiative.
Left to Right: Isabel Lu, Dr. Niesha Douglas, Chris Gillespie, Bevelyn Ukah, Dr. Santos Flores, Daphne Hines
In addition to Ukah, the Outcomes 4 team includes: Dr. Niesha Douglas, Community-Based Food System Research Scholar for the Visioning our Food Future Project in Southeastern NC and author of Everybody Eats: Communication and the Paths to Food Justice; Dr. Santos Flores, member of the Earthseed Collective; CORE Fellows Chris Gillespie and Isabel Lu; and CORE Creative Communications Consultant Daphne Hines. This team brings a unique combination of knowledge and experience in policy, institutional change, leadership development, and the arts. The project also includes community partners working in the areas of climate justice, mutual aid, youth development, land sovereignty, and the arts across North Carolina, including DurmPAC (learn more in Hines’ Black History Month interview in with Nori McDuffie – English or Spanish), Greensboro Mutual Aid, the NC Climate Justice Collective, and WNC Earthmates.
As a central part of their community of practice, Art as Method holds monthly retreats during which they refine the project methodology and practice racial equity principles. Project activities have included a September 2023 BIPOC food systems leadership retreat that included a land and public art tour, a series of story gathering sessions using art as the research methodology, meals sourced locally from a BIPOC catering company, and an ancestral story circle led by Cleaster Cotton, artist and co-founder of WNC Earthmates. In addition to the BIPOC food systems leadership retreat, Art as Method also facilitated a story gathering session with food and climate justice activists during the 2023 NC Climate Justice Summit.
As the project progresses, the team plans to share more about their findings and methodology through a series of events showcasing the transformative power of art in research. Stay tuned for updates and insights from the Outcomes 4 team and follow the CORE events calendar to find opportunities to engage with the “Art as Method” project.