'We cannot go it alone': how the art world is helping fight food insecurity
Last month, thousands of cars were lined up for miles in Dallas, Texas. This was not your average rush hour traffic jam or even a wait for Covid-19 testing – it was the longest lineup of its kind for locals to receive groceries from a drivethrough food bank, who helped feed over 25,000 people for Thanksgiving.
Across America, food insecurity is at an all-time high. Food banks are over-extending themselves, as a growing number of Americans can’t afford to buy groceries since the pandemic hit. The $4.5bn food program spearheaded by the Trump administration is running out earlier than expected, leaving charities and food banks, which have seen a 60% surge in demand, scrambling.
With the pandemic bringing on food insecurity for 40% of Americans for the first time, now with the holidays around the corner, what’s next?
‘Tis the season for the art fundraiser. Artists, curators and art galleries across the country are fusing forces to raise funds to fight food insecurity. From exhibitions to online auctions, raffles and print sales, art with heart is another way to help feed people, just in time for Christmas.
New York art gallery Fort Makers has created a benefit exhibition called Dreamscapes, which is helping support the Henry Street Settlement Food Access Initiative, by selling prints until 17 January.
“I’ve never been more worried about my fellow New Yorkers than now because homelessness and food insecurity are skyrocketing,” said the gallery’s creative director, Nana Spears. “More than ever, we need to be looking out for our neighbors.”
The benefit features limited edition artwork by 14 artists, including Marcel Alcalá, Annie Bielski and Naomi S Clark, among others, depicting fantasy landscapes and abstract works (50% of proceeds go to the cause, which has an emergency food pantry and one of the biggest meals on wheels programs in New York).
“Bringing together art and charitable giving together makes total sense to me, as both art and charities change lives,” added Spears.
In Miami, a group of local artists are working to fight food insecurity with the Buddy System MIA, the non-profit behind Miami’s Community Fridges, in partnership with Buchanan’s Whisky. The artists – Reyna Noriega, AholSniffsGlue and Vic Garcia – have been commissioned to paint colorful murals on to 10 community fridges, which are stationed around Miami’s most affected areas.
“Each painting captures the eccentricity of Miami and its vibrant spirit, while bringing color to neighborhoods during a time when it’s needed most,” said Kristin Guerin, the CEO of Buddy System MIA.
The initiative will also help provide more than 28,000 meals to local underserved communities throughout the holidays and until March, as one in every six households in south Florida is currently struggling with food insecurity.
“We wanted to provide relief to our Miami neighbors in need through community fridges, which provide a quick, easy way for anyone to take what food they need with no questions asked,” said Guerin.
“Stress around food insecurity is especially heightened as the holidays represent a time of festivities and feasts,” she added. “We wanted to establish new fridges in areas lacking affordable, nutritious food options.”
Meanwhile, the Service Workers Coalition in New York is offering a $50 grocery stipend to service industry workers who are out of a job. They have partnered with artists to help raise funds for their online raffle, which allows people who are donating through their website the chance to win an art print (one print was a still life of food by photographer Grant Cornett).
“We are building a future which acknowledges that we cannot go it alone,” the co-founders write on their website. “You can help someone not just to pay for their groceries, but to know they are supported by a whole network of people.”
The Baxter Street Camera Club of New York is hosting an annual photo print sale and relief initiative, the Artists in Focus Fund, which provides assistance to artists in need. Work from more than 75 artists, including Jose Parla, Hannah Whitaker and Gillian Laub, will be on sale through 26 December.
The Dutch photography duo Inez & Vinoodh (Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin) have created a digital art charity platform in New York called Double Dutch, which helps charities. It’s a system where people can give digital postcards by artists such as Cindy Sherman and Richard Prince while making a donation to a selected charity. The list of organizations includes the World Health’s Organization Solidarity Response Fund, which supports the World Food Program.
“After toilet paper, people’s immediate reaction was stocking up on food, when the pandemic hit,” said Van Lamsweerde. “But what about families who don’t have food, who lost their jobs and all of a sudden have nothing? Are completely swept aside? Food insecurity was everyone’s first thought. That was number one on our list.”
The Hudson Valley artist Dan Colen has formed Sky High Farm, a farm in upstate New York to help feed the needy. He and his team regularly donate homegrown organic fruit and vegetables to food pantries across New
York state, with the goal of getting nutritious food out to everyone (not just the privileged).
Art students at Penn State University in Pennsylvania have also started a project called Bowled Over, where they’re making and selling handcrafted bowls crafted by the student ceramics club, available through their website, which helps benefit the school’s food pantry.
And the Brooklyn artist Jade Alexis Thacker is currently working with Kravets Wehby Gallery in New York to release a limited-edition print through Art For Change. For the sale of every print, the artist will donate 20% of the proceeds to City Harvest, which helps feed New York’s hungry.
“I’m happy to be in a position to help,” said Thacker. “Food insecurity in New York City has skyrocketed during the pandemic. The intersection of art and programs like this help direct money where it is most needed.”
And it couldn’t be more timely right now. “The holidays provide a stark contrast between the haves and have nots that people should be mindful of yearround,” she added.