In an upcoming series of articles authored by Glenn McClure, The County News will be exploring the ‘Buy Local/Build a Future’ program with a look at the individual projects which students have completed.

We are moving forward with ambition into the interview phase and documentation phase of the project, One player: Chad is officially designated our PR or more appropriately our FR(Farmer relations) person and is currently lining up times and dates to visit our initial farms.  

We are awaiting the very gracious lending of video equipment from the HFL school district, which will allow us a professional filming and production.

We are, thanks to the excellent advise of our new team, going to interview at area farm markets, a crucial addition to this painting of our grassroots food system.

We are still looking for organic farms to include, so suggestions are welcome.

Local Flavors Cookbook

The Coffee Cart
The Life Skills Class at Geneseo Central School is strongly centered around the culinary arts. They have a Coffee Cart from which they sell and serve fresh coffee and a variety of delicious cookies. The students learn entrepreneurial skills as well as cooking basics, taste, presentation, etiquette, and communication skills.

Developing Recipes
Preceding my involvement in the classroom the students worked to develop recipes using local (Livingston County) and seasonal ingredients. Each student had their own recipe to develop and to alter to fit their idea of good taste, aesthetics, and local-ness. Some of the local ingredients used were strawberries, spinach, Nunda mustard, Barilla pasta, Monk’s bread, maple syrup, potatoes, chicken, and more.
After the recipes were perfected, the students entered the information into the computer and drew images to accompany the recipes.

Artist in the Classroom
My first day in the classroom began with an introduction of myself and of the decal process which the students would be learning the following day. I explained to them how and what ceramic objects are made of, how to detect what type of clay something is made of, and the inherent qualities of each type of clay. I spoke of the iron content in the earth as well as in clay and many common objects (rust on cars, composite metals, inks, bricks, flower pots). This flowed into to the explanation of laser-printed decals.  I showed sample tiles that I made as examples of what the decal process can result in.

Decals
The black ink in many printers is made up of red iron oxide as well as other synthetics.  Iron Oxide is a fairly refractory material that bonds to clay and glaze at a very high temperature only attainable with a kiln. It is a great way to get a very detailed image onto a ceramic surface without distortion.
Each student chose two vintage plates, purchased from a local antique store, on which to apply their decal. The recipes and their accompanying drawing were digitalized in the computer and printed onto the decal paper using my laser printer. The students then soaked the paper in water, which released the ink from the paper, and carefully applied the images and text to the plates. I then took the plates back to my kiln and fired them. At a very high temperature the iron fuses to the glaze and the synthetics burn off. The results were stunning- vintage plates with a sepia-toned recipe on the plate, fired on for regular use.

The Commemorative Plate
The concept of the commemorative plate runs strong in this workshop. Traditionally, commemorative plates celebrate and pay homage to a person, a place, or a point in time. This person, place, or event is celebrated through an object- the plate. The very structure of a plate, flat center with an encompassing rim, suggests a frame of sorts and the semi-flat nature of a plate allows it to be displayed on the wall. Working within the tradition of commemorative plates contextualizes this project– we are commemorating the local ingredients in the recipes, our county, as well as the time and work that was put into developing the recipes. Many of the students named the recipes after themselves and therefore have memorialized their personal work.

The Tasting Event
The Local Flavors workshop finished up with a very successful and well attended tasting event in the classroom. The stage was set with white tablecloths and the plates displayed on plate stands around the table. In front of each plate were examples of the local products and ingredients as well as a silver tray filled with tasting portions of the food. The presentation was nicely put together, transforming the classroom into a culinary-gallery. The attendees were very impressed by the delicious tastes and beautiful plates. Cynthia Oswald, president of the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce, Lisa Burns, director of Livingston County Tourism, and Kathryn Hollinger, Executive Director of the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts, were among the guests from outside of the school. Many teachers as well as the superintendant and principal came to taste the food and see the plate installation.
A job well done Ashley, Larry, Tesla, Ashley, Clyde, Carol, Pam, Glen, and Kala!

Summary
This project was a huge success, our goals were met and we learned a lot on the way! Through the Local Flavors workshop we were able to connect the dots  between local agriculture, local business, sustainability and green ethics, ceramic chemistry, word processing, formatting, culinary skills, local and regional identity, healthy food choices, and entrepreneurial strategies. Cynthia and Lisa were excited about the ongoing possibilities for this type of culinary experience and how in the future it might be able to extend further in the community and the public. Perhaps we will see some of these local recipes in some of the Geneseo restaurants!
In the near future, the plates will be publically displayed, check back to the Buy Local/ Build a Future blog for more information.

One common trap that most well intentioned adventurous artists such as ourselves fall into at the beginning when we just start out as teaching artists is that of overlooking all the hidden costs of a program.  We are eager, well intentioned and we don’t know what we don’t know.  We get a job and think “Oh, this is so much fun, who cares if I fire the kiln a few times just for this class…who cares if the average kiln firing takes 2 hours to load, 12 hours to fire, 12 hours to cool and $15 in electricity?”  How do we put a dollar amount on exactly how much glaze is used in dunking 17 or 20 or 30 tiles for a class when the vat of glaze is 5 gallons and dunking that number of tiles only drops the amount in the vat by a small bit?  At first my response was always, “Oh I won’t bother calculating in that cost or the cost of the underglazes I used in class, or even the box of clay,” but that is selling my self short which does not feel good to me–and I assume to my employer as well.  I hope that anyone who know me at all, knows that I am not looking to squeeze out every last penny in any situation, but this is where we artists must remind ourselves that we are also business people.

Lucky for me, I have several great mentors to whom I can turn and toss this subject around.  From Stephen in VSA, to Glenn in “Buy Local,” to Chris, my Math-type husband, we have all discussed the importance of not selling ourselves short as professionals, and we have all discussed how easy it is for all of us to do it anyway.   Even such things as mileage (which is not covered in “Buy Local” but is still deductible as a business expense) adds up quickly.  My school for the “Buy Local” Project is Geneseo…a mere 5 miles round-trip from my home.  To date, I have already put 50 miles on the car.  The federal credit for mileage is $.50/mile, so that is $25 already.  Many other artists in the “Buy Local” Project are putting many more miles on per visit, and I do too when my residencies don’t happen to be in my home village.

I am not sure if writing this will spark any reflections/reactions from my fellow artists, or if you have already figured these dilemmas out in your business and have moved beyond, but I would be interested in hearing from others how you reach an equitable solution to this topic in your world?  Thanks, Sharon

Well,  lots of great work has been done in Mrs. Offords 4th grade class over the past few days and weeks–(probably great work has been done all year, but I can only write about the Buy Local part).  Since the last time I was in the class room with the students, I have been busy drawing a usable silhouette of the Geneseo bear which I then cut into 17 very random parts.  I have labeled the pieces by the Greek Alphabet so that I can “crack the code” when it comes time to reassemble the puzzle.  Today in class I handed out the paper puzzle pieces explaining to the students that there ceramic tile will be in that shape and when finished, all of the pieces will assemble into the bear shape.  Again the students amazed me in their eager acceptance of the game.  No one gripped that their piece was not equal to their neighbors or that they “had” to know which piece they had in order to sleep well tonight.  Clearly, these kids could teach many adults about the art of trust, patients, and delayed gratification.

Before starting into the clay, we met as a group and discussed some of the tools we will be using, their names and use, and defined basic terms such as clay, green ware, bisque ware, kiln, firing, etc.  In order for the puzzle to work each tile must be as exact as possible, so todays’ task was for the students to help me cut a chunk of clay from the big bag of clay, roll it out so that the paper shape would fit, and cut the shape with straight, smooth edges.  Having the students each help in cutting the clay gives me an early clue as to how confident or timid they are in working with someone and something new.  In order to help cut they have to put their hands on mine–this tactile step is one that some approach very hesitantly and others with much force.

After they rolled out the clay and cut the tile, we then had them start work (on paper) designing what the tile will look like based on the subject they have been assigned.  There are lots of creative ideas floating round, so I look forward to seeing what makes it onto the tiles.

May 26, 2010

Last night I worked on each piece at home making sure that the pieces matched their paper patterns as well as possible, checked to make sure each tile was within an acceptable thickness and dried them to the soft leather-hard state.

Today we met again to talk about some more tools and terms, I showed them a sampling of ways to engrave, texturize and carve into the clay.  Then the students got to work on their tiles using all kinds of tools to create their designs. It was fun to watch them work and to see them concentrate on the task at hand.

June 1, 2010

Over the weekend I went over each tile checking for sharp edges, and other possible problem areas.  I also dried them and bisqued them to be ready for today’s class.

Today was underglaze day.  I brought in 7 different colors for the students to use and talked to them about what an underglaze is (vs. a glaze or overglaze).  I spent some time with them showing them different effects they can create with different brushes and explained what to expect with the coloring process.  (Because a bisqued piece is very dry and porous, the underglaze gets sucked up very quickly, therefore, you can’t get much per paint stroke nor can you do a lot of blending in the colorants.)  The hour of  underglazing was lovely.  Mrs. Offord put on some music and poetry on tape and dimmed the lights so that there was a peaceful and restful environment for the kids.  They did, of course, talk and share with each other, but they remained focused and dedicated to the project at hand.  By the time we get to this stage, I have already spent hours with each tile at school and at home working them over, bisquing them, etc, so I have the pieces pretty memorized in the raw clay state.  To see them wake in color is such fun for me and a thrill every time.  The underglazes are very matted looking at this time and not in their finished glossy state, so I (and the kids) will have sill another color-shock after the final firing.

June 2, 2010

Two students were absent yesterday.  One will be gone the rest of the week, so Mrs. Offord had a friend underglaze her piece.  The other student was back in class today, so I returned to school with her tile and the underglazes so that she could complete her tile.

The rest of my day/night was spent waxing and glazing the 17 pieces and loading the kiln.  Every time I finish loading a kiln I feel like doing a victory dance–especially when the kiln is full of such exciting and unique pieces.  I will fire all day tomorrow and will be able to see the results on Friday.  The students, however, will need to wait until June 22 to see their artwork, as I will be out of town all of next week.

May 10, 2010

Glenn, Amanda Offord, and I met for our lesson planning meeting, and we got not only a lot of work accomplished, but we also got each other very excited about what our unique project will be with our students.  Amanda teaches 4th grade in Geneseo Central and has 17 students.  They have already begun talking about how the many levels and generations of educational institutions in Geneseo have greatly shaped our town as well as beyond our borders nationally and internationally.  It is within this context that I will be working with the students to create a ceramic tile mosaic with each tile focusing on a particular subject within the “Education in Geneseo” theme.  We talked about several different ways of approaching the theme and decided on having the outline of the finished mosaic be a clearly recognizable symbol  of Geneseo and/or education.  Nailing down what the outline should be will be our first task with the students.  As it is late in the school year and tests, field trips, etc. are blanketing the remaining school days, we had to be very careful in getting enough contact time in early for me (so that I can then bisque and fire the tiles) and late for Amanda in order to give the students enough time to do research on their topics.

May 11, 2010

My first meeting with the students.

Glenn and I went in for an hour to brainstorm with the students about the mosaic shape.  Everyone was excited and had lots of idea.  Although Glenn and I were trying to steer the students toward finding a symbol of education, it only took a few nanoseconds for it to become clear that the bear on our fountain would be the outline of choice.  I had the students draw pictures of what they thought should be the icon we use and almost all of them drew the bear.  (This even after a half hour of brainstorming beyond the bear.)  That said, I think the bear is actually a great choice since it is so unique to Geneseo and can be recognized by anyone from the area at any distance.  I loved taking the drawings home and looking at them again admiring all the talent and passion the students put into the work.  If this is a sample of the quality of work they will put into the tiles, we are in  for a great treat and  a wonderful finished product.

May 12, 2010

Amanda and I “announced” the results of yesterday’s outline project.  Yes, the bear will be our shape, but the students were not able to fully understand that we are not going to create the bear in tile, rather it will be  a collage of many individual pieces of art when, put together, looks like the bear.  Glenn and I had tried to get this idea across yesterday, and I think we were much more successful today because of the slightly different angle Amanda took in explaining the idea.  I was very relieved once the students “got it” and were still enthusiastic.  The rest of our time was spent creating 17 subjects around the theme of Education in Geneseo.  The first few were easy:  The College, The Normal School, The Cobblestone Schoolhouse etc, but getting 17 took us most of the hour.  In the end, we came up with, what I think, is a great list and a list diverse enough that there will be something for everyone.  We then had the students pick which of the subjects they wanted to research.  I am really impressed with the students and how nice they are to work with.  When the picking of the topics began I envisioned people being unhappy that they didn’t get the one they wanted, but none of that happened.  We drew names, the students picked a subject and then we moved on…a great group of students.

Then there are stories that are still a mystery, like those almost-captured in the photo with this post.  It’s a page from the Sterling Salt employee log book from Cuylerville, showing a list of employees between the dates of 1910 to 1923.  It tells quite a lot–name, age, birthplace, how long they’ve been in this country, family status, previous employer.  The last column is full of potential: it says why they were discharged from, or left working for the company.  I’m imagining students choosing a person, gathering whatever facts are known about their circumstances, and then creating “the rest of the story” from what they imagine might have happened, before or after.  (There are 600 such pages…)

Download full pdf – BLBF Packet

Stay tuned!

A Buy Local Sell Local project

 Small farms and food paths in Livingston County;

 *A group of local High school students will split up to conduct interviews and document with  

 video, audio, and photography, and possibly drawings the activities of some local small farmers.

 *They will then come back together to pool their interviews and documentation       into a short film or trailer, comprised of snippets of each students material.

 *In addition Prints will be made of each students photo’s to be displayed with  a short excerpt from an interview.

 *The project will wrap up with with an open screening and photo gallery, with         other possible venues to follow. 

 *In addition a architectural sculpture may be installed as a centerpiece using only   local food as a   medium, perhaps serving as an hors d’oeuvre. 

 Phase 1- Locate willing farmers to collaborate with, arrange tentative interview times.

  – Locate video audio, and photo equipment, both for shooting, editing, and printing.

  – Locate a few possible exhibition spaces.

  – Locate projector and screen or large white wall.

  – Compile examples of similar projects and other inspirational material.

  – Compile sample interview questions.

Phase 2 – Meet with students to view some example interview style documentaries and photo journalism.

    – Assess their strengths and interests and allocate rolls accordingly.

  – Introduce equipment and test out in mock interviews.

  – Decide on beginning set of interview questions.

  – Pick farmers and arrange interview and documentation times, transportation.

  – Create timeline and schedule the opening

Phase 3 – Carry out interviews and documentation 

  – Regroup and present findings

  – Edit and combine video and audio

  – Edit photo’s and if desired pair with appropriate audio transcriptions.

Phase 4 – Publicity for opening, posters, social networking, pennysaver, livingston co. news, etc.

  – Food and beverages for opening

  – Set up and open up 

Questions:

*Where might I find a few digital camera’s, a video camera and audio recorder? I have my own to begin with, more  

  would be better.

*finding somebody experienced with video editing?  I have some friends who’d like to help, but somebody already involved might be better.

*transportation?  

*how many kids?

*I would like to include the kids in as much of the editing as possible, yeah or neah?

*maybe collaborate with Kala’s group cooking the sculpture at the opening.

Any idea’s for examples of similar projects for inspiration?

 Farmers:  

* Don, tomatoes and other veggies, sells to local restaurants – East Avon    

* Bonnie and Bob, eggs and cows – Hemlock

*I have others in mind just haven’t confirmed with them yet.

Students:

* My friend Cathy Wahl is the High school Librarian at Avon, I’ll talk to her about a good group of students.

* Another friend Betty Rienhart is the High school school guidance counselor at HFL, I’ll talk with her as well.

Livingston County Local Flavors

Project Proposal for Carol Robinson ‘s The Life Skills Class, Geneseo Central School.
Draft 1.  4/21/2010
Submitted by Kala Stein for Buy Local/ Build a Future

This workshop will explore local food, food heritage and the future of food in Livingston county through 4 components: research, recipes, creative documentation (digital cookbook) and ceramic plate installation. Research & recipes administered by Carol Robinson will be posted on class blog by the students- images, text, video and audio will be included.
Kala will collate the recipes and accompanying images into the Digital Cookbook (pdf format) and publish on blog. Concluding events are mentioned in #5.

This project is meant to have a strong community component. Students should source community members and organizations for the research and will be giving back to the community through information and free recipes on the blog. I imagine this project to be “full circle” starting from the community and ultimately giving back to the community. I hope that we are looking forward, into the future of our economy, our health, and our sustainability as a small rural county. The Slow Food Movement acted is a catalyst for this project. Many of the Slow Food Movement’s programs are pushing forward through youth initiatives that we can take cue from. Perhaps in this workshop we focus on raising awareness and promoting local businesses, sustainability, and healthy eating.

1. Research
Be creative and unconventional- books, online, interviews with farmers, restaurateurs, chefs, historical societies, heritage sites, stories, paintings/art etc. Many old-timers may be excellent resources for information! Take a field trip to a local CSA (in Lima?). Explore social/community implications of food and eating. Look into Slow Food Movement (Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world).

Become a “food detective”!
How do food trends travel? How has agriculture thrived or declined in the area over time? What is regionalism, or regional identity? How does the weather or soil composition effect what grows well? How does heritage parallel with cuisine?

2. Recipes
How are the recipes developed? We should incorporate as much “local flavor” as possible- ingredients that are grown in the area and are available through farmers markets and road-side stands. A list of ingredients and sources should be documented on blog and in recipe. (The history of salt in the area might be of interest)
With this information, we help link consumers directly to the producers-  Promoting people to think and act locally!

3. Creative Documentation
The blog component will “publish” the creative research from the workshop (images, text, audio, and video are all great!). The students will curate the information and images that will be on the blog, representing the overall mission of the project. The aesthetics of the blog should be considered and a logo and color scheme can be developed to represent the county/region/food. The blog will also feature our Digital Cookbook, featuring the local heritage class recipes. The public can view and print for personal use. This will link the student’s efforts to the community.
-Do our efforts help establish an online food guide through Livingston County Tourism? Ontario county has one!
See Ontario County’s food & producer guide:
www.visitfingerlakes.com/pdfs/Ontario_County_Local_Food_Guide.pdf

4. Ceramic Plate Installation (meal or other venue)
We will be creating a 3D cookbook using a ceramic decal process*.
Ceramic dinner plates will be purchased (from Corning or second hand) and we fire decals of the written recipe as well as our “logo” onto the plates. The set table will be our installation art project and will be photographed throughout the dining event (then posted on the blog). As the food is eaten, the food enjoyed, the recipe is revealed. We also have the option of making 2 runs of the plates so that one set can be displayed on the wall while the other is in use. This also allows each student to keep a plate and the grouping can stay together for display.
The ceramic plates have the flexibility to be displayed on the wall using plate hangers (ideas: chamber of commerce, tourism bureau, school, or local bank or post office), as well as on a horizontal surface.
Who comes to our meal? Do we invite farmers? Is the event recorded through sound/video?

*Ceramic Decal Process: With my HP laser printer I am able to print and black and white image onto special decal paper. The decal is easily applied, like a sticker, to the glazed plate. Industrial white ware or vintage plates are perfect for this. The plate is then fired to ∆04 and the iron in the printer ink infuses into the glaze, leaving a detailed sepia-colored image. This process if very easy, affordable and food safe. My printer only results the sepia color, we can order other colored decals at a local company in Alfred, NY if we would like to further embellish the plates.

5. Concluding Assembly & Feast
From my understanding we will conclude the workshop with two events- the public assembly as well as a meal. I propose that along with the projected digital images, the plates can be installed on a wall for viewing, or perhaps a banquet table is set and on display with the recipe plates. This event could be open to the public or at a non-conventional site that is more open to the community.
At the meal we would eat off the plates and special guests who contributed to the feast and/or the research could be invited. The food will be excellent! Perhaps it is held at a farm, or in a park, in the form of a picnic!

Sources and Resources:
http://www.fingerlakeswest.com/
http://www.co.livingston.state.ny.us/
www.visitfingerlakes.com/pdfs/Ontario_County_Local_Food_Guide.pdf
http://www.slowfood.com/
American Traditions Picnics:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/raft_detail/american_traditions_picnics/
US Youth Food Movement:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/details/youth_food_movement/
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies:
http://www.livingeconomies.org/entrepreneurs/sustag
Foxfire (the original!! a 1966 student-produced magazine containing stories and interviews gathered from elders in their rural Southern Appalachian community.)
http://www.foxfire.org/