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CREATE

What can food teach us about art, community and culture? Artist Seitu Jones and Public Art Saint Paul imagined a living artwork that would ignite conversations about food, food access and food justice in the core city with the idea of changing the urban food system.

CREATE was a multi-year project (2013–2015) led by local artist Seitu Jones, whose year-long listening tour engaged St. Paul residents in conversations about food traditions, attitudes, rituals and access. Public Art Saint Paul took the lead in helping bring Seitu’s vision to life by illuminating how artists and their creative collaborators can transform the urban food system. It reached a moment of civic greatness in fall 2014 with a Community Meal for 2,000 at a half-mile long table set in the middle of Victoria Street in Frogtown. The menu was inspired by food stories of the world cultures that comprise our population and the produce was locally grown by organic farmers.

CREATE continues and expands to tables throughout the city with a series of Neighborhood Meals and deployment of mobile Art Kitchens to teach health food preparation. Produced by Public Art Saint Paul, CREATE illuminates how artists and their creative collaborators can transform the urban food system and foster the health of our beloved community. It has the power to unite people across cultural, social and economic borders and inspire an ongoing conversation between neighbors. For years to come, CREATE will expand our table and message across the city and the world.

Creative & Production Team

SEITU JONES, ARTIST

Production Team

Public Art Saint Paul, Producer
Christine Podas-Larson, Executive Producer
Ashley Hanson, Producer
Nic Cherry, Production Manager
Rachel Keenan, Ticket Coordinator
Molly Larson, Volunteer Coordinator

Artistic Team

Tablescape
Mary Hark
Tony Santoyo
JoAnna Santoyo
Teresa Santoyo
Brenda Bell
Brooklyn Petrich

Grace and Closing

G.E. Patterson
Soyini Guyton

Choreography

Ananya Dance Theatre

Spoken Remedy
TouSaiko Lee
Deeq Abdi
Laurine Chang
Nimo Farah
Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria
Abdurazak Omar
Sakariya Ali
Brandon Wilson
Peevxwm Victor Yaj
Deja Stowers

Mobile Art Kitchens
Emily Stover
Asa Hoyt
Peter Kramer

Artist/Designer
Cliff Garten Studio

Partners & Funders

Partners

Food
Food prepared by Elite Catering Inc. and Team
Executive Chef James Baker
Associate Chef Lachell Cunningham
Minnesota Food Association
Katie Kubovick, Food Coordinator
Laura Hedeen, Food Coordinator
First Karen Farm – See Nay
Gurung Family Farm – Naina & Dil Gurung
Karen Family Farm – Aung Thin
Miller Family Farm – Jacque Miller
Sebra Farm – Porfirio Perez
Romé Farm – Kano Banjaw
Dawn2Dusk Farm – Moses Momanyi & Rhona
Hmong American Farmers Association
Stone’s Throw Urban Farm
Main Street Project
City Food Studio
Cooks of Crocus Hill
Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressing Company
Nature’s Nectar, LLC
Wild Fruits Farm
Co-op Partners Warehouse

Neighborhood Dinners and Community Outreach
Melvin Giles
CJ Turne
Ubax Ali
Tonya Draughn
Henry McClain
Sandie McNeel
Mt. Airy Hi-Rise
Tisha Salinas
Emily and Davu Seru
Tia Williams
Amee Xiong

Site Design
Bob Close Studio
Ben Erickson
Peter Kramer

Identity and Design
Replace Design Studio

Marketing and Public Relations
Bellmont Partners

Website
Dan Gustafson, 16Wins

Documentation and Evaluation
Rachel Engh
Doug Moon, BIBO
Dane Whitehead
Andy King
Bob Muschewske
Margie O’Loughlin
Matty Lang
Allison Herrera
D. A. Bullock, Bully Creative Shop

Food Map
Erin Kindell, University of Minnesota, College of Design
Allina Health

Mobile Art Kitchens
Youth Farms
Science Museum ofMinnesota, Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center

Graphics and Printing
Vomela Specialty Company
Ideal Printers

Community Partners
The City of SaintPaul
Office of the Mayor
Saint Paul PublicWorks
Saint Paul PoliceDepartment
Eureka Recycling
Nice Ride Minnesota
Model Cities of St. Paul, Inc.
St. Paul Fellowship Church
Minnehaha Business Center
Wilder Child Development Center
Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota
Eco Garage

Funders & Special Thanks

Funders

A Joyce Award from the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation
Central Corridor Funders Collaborative
Knight Foundation
Funding for this project is provided in part by the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Marbrook Foundation
General Mills, Inc.
3M
MAHADH and Julia Kaemmer Funds of HRK Foundation
Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressing Company
Nature’s Nectar, LLC
Bob Bierscheid
Bruce and Julie Seiber
Public Art Saint Paul, in partnership with Seitu Jones, is a fiscal year 2014 recipient of a Cultural Community Partnership grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Special Thanks To

Public Art Saint Paul Board of Directors
Joan Palm, Board Chair
Bob Bierscheid
Bernie Bullert
Pierce Canser
Edward F. Fox
Nicolas Fox
Peter Kramer
Bob Muschewske
Heather Peterson
Marilyn Porter
Susan Davis Price
Sarah Schultz
Andrea Stimmel
Yamy Vang
Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Ex-Officio
Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter, Ex-Officio
Tom Eggum, Emeritus
Imogene Treichel, Emeritus

Advisory team
Hilary Otey-Wold, Minnesota Food Association
Glen Hill, Minnesota Food Association
Julie Seiber, Saint Paul–Ramsey County Food and Nutrition Commission
Pakou Hang, Hmong American Farmers Association
Mustafa Sundiata, Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council and University of Minnesota Nutrition Extension
Pat Hamilton, Science Museum of Minnesota’s Global Change Initiatives program
Tom Fisher, University of Minnesota College of Design

Food Map

The University of Minnesota College of Design’s Street Life course developed this interactive food and health resources and assets map for the Frogtown Area.