| "The
Recipe Call Project"
The community is asked to submit recipes via an entry form that they feel
conveys the spirit of the Zion Canyon. Naturally, they are asked to provide
ingredient details and cooking instructions. Part of the entry form also
asks to give reason for their selected submission. The Zion Canyon region
responded with overwhelming enthusiasm. The towns of Rockville and Springdale
have a combined population of around 700. (The actual size is much lower,
as many of these residences are weekend homes) The total entry number
was 60!
My residency at The Mesa started with a community potluck and an informational
slide show on the project. "The Recipe Call Project" and my
stay corresponded with the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition "Key
Ingredients: America by Food". The Mesa was the host of this show
and my inclusion in the regional programing provided a local dialogue
for the community. To my surprise, many recipes kept coming in past the
deadline and the deadline was extended through the first week. The selection
of the recipe was particularly difficult. South West Utah is not a region
known for one food or one agricultural industry. In past years, the state
of Utah has been the largest consumer of Jello. -they have a St. Patricks
Day festival to celebrate this distinction. I was expecting a slew of
funeral potatoes and casserole recipes. Amazingly, the range of dishes
entered proved the expansive culinary vocabulary of the region!
Spicy Cheese Pie, Grandpa Moriarty's Irish Bread, Molasses Crinkles, Molasses
Candy, Prickley Pear Jelly, Garlic Corn Zest, Dried Corn Chowder, EarthQuake
Cake, Zucchini Apple Pie, Pioneer Rice Pudding, Dilly Bread, Kimchi, Mom's
Macaroni with Cheese (Honer Style), Joe's Favorite Guacamole, Drunk BBQ
Chicken, Ranch Stew, UtahSues Canyon Grill Platter, Lila's Sour Cream
Enchiladas, Anasazi Corn Casserole, Sean's French Toast, Jordan's Sticky
Buns, Special Tamale Pie and Sweet Pie...to name but a few!!! The entries
ranged from folks who had lived their entire lives in the Zion Canyon
to those newly arrived. National Park employees, Store Owners, Potters,
Designers, Retired folks....the list goes on. The ages ranged from an
8 year old boy to a 96 year old woman. After an exhaustive weekend reviewing
and visualizing recipes...I boiled it down to two. (no pun intended!)
The selected recipes were Wilma Anguis's Gazpacho and Aniceto (Cheto)
Olais's Corn Bred-Sonorense. Wilma's ingredients all are grown in her
garden. Not an easy feat in this geography! Cheto's Corn Bread-Sonorense
originally hails from the state of Sonora, Mexico. The recipe acquired
from his mother's side of the family is a mainstay in local potlucks.
To Cheto this recipe conveys, "the spirit of the Canyon-the mixing
of cultures in the Zion Canyon". I was inspired by the history of
each of these recipes, the agricultural significance of the ingredients
and the pioneering spirit. Acquiring many of these ingredients to paint
proved to be a "hunter and gatherer" exercise, as well. I relied
on local gardens and the participants to help me. The chilies chitipin
were donated by Cheto, who got them from this mother's garden in Southern
Arizona. The scallion was dug from Aviva Maller's organic garden. The
sugar packet came from "The Mean Bean", a local coffee establishment.
The background of the painting is an expressive interpretation of the
landscape. The rugged cliffs, layered rocks and seeping colors directs
your vision upward through the canyon walls and carries your imagination
away.
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The submitted aprons,
photos and recipes were strung across the Rockville Community Center.
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Opening
Festivities
Apron and Recipe Installation & Recipe Sampling
Saturday August 30, 2003
Rockville Community Center and Park
The submitters for "The Recipe Call" were asked to submit an
apron from their kitchen and a photograph of themselves at any age. All
the recipes and photographs were pinned to the accompanying apron and
pinned with laundry pins to a clothesline. The collection of recipe entries,
photos and aprons became a vibrant illuminated story of the food traditions
and heart of the Zion community. The installation read like a rich book
across the community center - each apron with accompanying photo and recipe
adding a chapter to the ongoing story of the character(s) and spirit of
the Zion Canyon. The Opening Festivities culminated in a "Food Tasting",
where the actual recipe dishes were nibbled on, recipe tips were exchanged
and the community convened to view their collective efforts! |
The
Mesa
The Mesa is a nonprofit arts and humanities residency center located above
the gateway to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. Its mission is
to provide a supportive and stimulating environment for creative work.
www.themesa.org
"Key Ingredients: America by Food" was organized by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in association with The
Utah Humanities Council; and hosted in Springdale, by The Mesa, An Arts
& Humanities Residency Center with the Towns of Springdale and Rockville,
the Zion Canyon Giant Screen Theatre and the Zion Canyon Visitors Bureau.
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