Curatorial Projects

2015 Curatorial Project NOURISH at the Napa Valley Museum

2015 Curatorial Project NOURISH at the Napa Valley Museum

NOURISH, is a multi-faceted exhibition that examines the intersection of dining, hospitality and art from Napa Valley to the global community. This show presented a unique chance to think about the way we relate to food and dining through the lens of art history and visual culture. Hosted by the Napa Valley Museum September 19 - November 29, 2015.

NOURISH features work by artists who address food, dining and service in their creative output, including Kathy Aoki, Gale Antokal, Nikki Ballere Callnan (NBC Pottery), Sue Bradford, Will Callnan III (NBC Pottery), Heather Capen, Zoe Crosher, Richard Diebenkorn, Kim Dingle, Caitlin Williams Freeman, Liz Hickok, Paul Kirchner, Catherine Maize, Robb McDonough, Debbie Miller, Deborah Oropallo, Lucy Puls, Gideon Rubin, Meg Smith, Mark Stock, Wayne Thiebaud, Chris Thorson, Michael Tompkins, Nancy Willis, Bijan Yashar, and Katherine Vetna. In addition, NOURISH presented monotypes created by Napa Valley chefs, and drawings by Alinea’s renowned chef Grant Achatz as well as a live video stream from the kitchen of Trois Étoiles in Paris, France.

The table. A place where people come together. Guest Curator and Artist Nancy Willis wants us to notice the labor, the attention to detail, or the visual artist whose work is contributing to your next dining experience. NOURISH at the Napa Valley Museum reminds us to celebrate the beauty, strength, and relativity of the visual arts as a vital source of daily nourishment. Let's pull artists and chefs together and see what happens. (Notes sourced from artist and guest curator statement by Nancy Willis.) Special thanks: Napa Valley Museum, Meagan Doud, Nancy Willis, Sue Bradford, Will Callnan III, Katherine Vetne. Thank you to all the artists. MORE INFORMATION: http://napavalleymuseum.org SHOT ON: Canon EOS 70D FilmConvert HOST: Loni Stark

“Discrepancy: Living Between War and Peace,” was a project created by own discomfort living in the beautiful Napa Valley and seeing images of devastation in Iraq and Afghanistan on the daily news. It began as an artistic response with work in my studio until I reached out to the Napa Valley Museum to guest curate an exhibition for the 10th anniversary of September 11th, 2001. The exhibition was on view August 5 - October 30, 2011, and included twenty-three artists and three writers, as well as veterans in the Pathway Home project, who created personal reflections on the impact of the catastrophic collapse of the World Trade Center’s twin towers and ongoing wars in the Middle East.

Related articles:

Nancy Willis Curator’s Statement

Discrepancy Artist Statements

The Napa Valley Museum explores the art of living between war and peace (Napa Valley Register, August 3, 2011)

Impacts of Sept. 11 and aftermath (St. Helena Star, Aug 18, 2011)