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The Art of Food


  • Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University 1855 Southwest Broadway Portland, OR, 97201 United States (map)

From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

In its most everyday sense, food is a physical necessity, yet its overall significance goes far beyond sustenance. Food is integral to our communities, relationships, cultures, and languages. People interact with food on varying levels. Some of us grow or gather it; more of us buy it. We transform it by cutting, cooking, and dressing it with spices, marinades, and garnishes. We use food as an intermediary to connect with others through holiday meals, business lunches, dates, and more.

Our food choices also carry ethical implications. What we eat affects and is affected by an intricate global food chain. We fight over food. We deny food to some as a tool of suppression and cultural erasure. We fear for our health, the challenge of feeding a growing global population, and the effects of climate change on food production.

Featuring more than 100 works in a variety of media from the renowned collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, The Art of Food showcases how some of the most prominent artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have considered this universal subject. Organized thematically, it uses an artistic lens to examine the subject of food beyond its purpose as body fuel. As you move through the exhibition, take time to consider your own relationship with food.

This exhibition was organized by the University of Arizona Museum of Art and curated by Olivia Miller, Curator of Collections. Support for this exhibition and related education and outreach programs has been made possible by a grant from Jordan Schnitzer through The Harold and Arlene CARE Foundation.

Featured Artists: Katherine Ace, Neal Ambrose-Smith, Chris Antemann, John Baldessari, Joseph Beuys, Emily Brock, Enrique Chagoya, Corwin Clairmont, Warrington Colescott, Robert Cottingham, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Richard Estes, David Gilhooly, Robert Gober, Red Grooms, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Malia Jensen, Jasper Johns, Alex Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Hung Liu, Bruce Nauman, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Alison Saar, Analia Saban, Jonathan Seliger, Lorna Simpson, Donald Sultan, Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, Rachel Whiteread, and Sherrie Wolf.

CURRENT HOURS:

Tuesday:         11 am – 5 pm
Wednesday:   11 am – 5 pm
Thursday:       11 am – 7 pm
Friday:            11 am – 5 pm
Saturday:        11 am – 5 pm
Sunday:          Closed
Monday:          Closed 

Earlier Event: August 27
Chrysalis, Laura Berger
Later Event: August 30
PICNIC