SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — “Mother Earth gives us everything we need.”
That message greets visitors at Art in the Atrium’s latest exhibit, “Interwoven,” where community members are weaving their own stories into a larger conversation about food justice in Central New York. The “Interwoven” exhibit is organized by the Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA).
Several poster boards line the Atrium, guiding guests to the focal point and namesake of the exhibit. A loom that features statements from people in the community about what the food system means to them.
“We invited folks to weave in their own piece of fabric or material and then tag it with an intention of what the food system means to them,” Renee Marcoux, SOFSA’s equity, inclusion and engagement manager, said.
The statements left on each tag encouraged community engagement in food justice initiatives and reminded exhibit visitors that the impacts of food insecurity reach everyone eventually.
SOFSA was founded in 2019 as a way to interweave the various food security organizations and nonprofits that already exist throughout Syracuse, Onondaga County and the Onondaga Nation.
“We are also a network of over 500 individuals and organizations… dedicated to reshaping our region’s food system,” Marcoux said. “We are actively working to change the policies. Break down barriers… locally, regionally and across the state.”
The ‘Interwoven’ exhibit is meant to inspire those who visit.
“When you are working to address centuries of historic oppression, the work can feel heavy,” Marcoux said. “Using art can instill joy. It can create that sense of wonder.”
Exhibit visitors often find that to be true. James Tyler, Jr. visited the exhibit for the first time and he was immediately reminded of his upbringing in the rural south.
“[I know] how to survive. How to cut the meat and how to grow your own vegetables. I know how to do that. I learned that from my grandma and my grandpa,” Tyler said.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Interwoven at Art in th Atrium: A community’s call to action
James Tyler, Jr.: Mother Earth gives us everything we need.
Nate Polite: That’s the message on display at the Atrium in an exhibit presented by the Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance, or SOFSA.
Renee Marcoux: We are also a dedicated network of over 500 individuals and organizations, you know, dedicate to reshaping our region’s food system.
Polite: But what exactly does that look like?
Marcoux: We are actively working to change the policies. Break down barriers in policies and laws. Locally, regionally and across the state.
Polite: SOFSA launched their Art in the Atrium exhibit with the intent of inspiring their community.
Marcoux: When you are working to address centuries the work can feel heavy. Using art can instill joy. It can create that sense of wonder.
Polite: And this right here is the centerpiece of it all. It’s called ‘Interwoven’ and while it might just look like a bunch of ribbon and tags tied to some string, when you take a closer look, every single one of these tags has a message meant to inspire the community to come together.
Marcoux: We invited folks to weave in their own piece of fabric or material and then tag it with an intention of what the food system means to them. Art, being such a visual thing, is kind of a univesal language.
Polite: A language that speaks to everyone differently. James Tyler is a memeber of the Syracuse community whose family comes from the rural south. The exhibit’s focus on living off the land reminded him of what he was taught as a kid.
Tyler: How to survive. How to cut the meat and how to grow your own vegetables. I know how to do that. I learned that from my grandma and my grandpa.
Polite: Those family connections bring SOFSA’s vision full circle.
Marcoux: That is SOFSA. It is made up of all of us, and full of what inspires us to do the work that we’re doing.
Polite: A work of art that represents its community and the land it sits on. In Syracuse, Nate Polite, NCC News.
Knowing how to live off the land is a key part of Haudenosaunee life. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy were the natives of Upstate New York, and their teachings inspire the work of SOFSA, and their gameplan to a more secure future.
A sense of family and community also sit at the center of SOFSA’s beliefs on how to create a more just food system.
“That is SOFSA. It is made up of all of us, and full of what inspires us to do the work that we’re doing,” Marcoux said.
‘Interwoven’ is on display at the Atrium in Downtown Syracuse on weekends through March 8.