For the past five years, Clare Patey has managed to shut down a bridge in London and invite thousands to come together to celebrate local food.
The internationally recognized artist and curator has made a name for herself creating what she calls social spaces in the public realm and opportunities for people to connect with the food they eat.
When Patey came to Phoenix a year ago to talk about the future of museums at ASU Art Museum, she was introduced to artist and farming activist Matthew Moore of Urban Plough. The two hit it off, began talking about food, and made some huge plans for 2013, including Feast on the Street.
See also: - Artist Clare Patey Discusses Food Celebrations and Education at ASU Art Museum - Clare Patey and Matthew Moore Explore Copper Politics, Artwork, and Identity at ASU Art Museum - Matthew Moore's New Project Documents Farm-to-Table Process
On Saturday, April 13, the two artists, with the help of ASU Art Museum and Roosevelt Row, will take over First Street between Moreland and Taylor streets to create a community celebration of locally grown, prepared, and sourced foods in Phoenix.
The celebration is inspired by Patey's annual event in London and discussions she and Moore had while creating an exhibition for ASU Art Museum, titled "CU29: Mining For You," which will be on view at the museum through May 11.
The two come from very different communities, but similar experiences. Moore grew up on a fourth-generation farm in Surprise that soon will be "transformed into suburbia." His documentation of the transformation and exploration of how we connect with our food has been featured at Phoenix Art Museum and at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. Patey launched the Feast in London with a goal of connecting local students to artists, gardeners, and chefs. Together, they took over a plot of land in the city and created a vegetable garden through food and art education. Both recognize the importance of the land we harvest and the value of sustainable food that needs to be shared with communities around the world.
Patey and Moore say the event will include eats by local food trucks, tasting stations, and food demonstrations to the tune of live music and street performances. A half-mile-long dining table will be set up for the main feast and filled with goods by more than 20 local chefs and culinary experts.
Beer and wine will be up for grabs (for those 21 and over) between Moreland and Portland streets, and a community-wide mobile garden parade will kick off in the afternoon (to participate, contact Kenny Barrett, Roosevelt Row programs manager, at [email protected] or 602.885.6267).
Also on the street will be demonstrations and lectures about desert plants and agricultural history, a series of food-related stories presented by the Arizona Storytellers Project, a collection of food-related crafts, including paper-making, seed art, palm frond-weaving, and natural dyes, and a mesquite bean-flour-harvesting demonstration.
Patey and Moore describe the event as a community effort and are still looking for volunteers, restaurant participants, and additional ideas, which can be submitted through the Feast on the Street website.
Feast on the Street is open and free to the public from 2 to 9 p.m. Stay tuned for more information and participating restaurants and chefs. Follow Chow Bella on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
