East Side of Things: Communal Cooking Project

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The MFA in Community Arts (MFACA) program consists of a diverse group of artists interested in building sustainable relationships in and beyond Baltimore through art and social justice praxis. The Community Arts program is housed at MICA PLACE, the program’s satellite campus in East Baltimore. The goal of MFACA is to work dialogically with local leaders; to realize projects that reflect the community’s interests, dreams, and needs for their respective neighborhoods; and to use the artistic vision of the MFA candidates as a vehicle for empowering change. The projects included in this exhibition are inspired by the Toxic Tour, a two-hour-long bus tour through East Baltimore led by a local community urban environmental activist, Glenn Ross, that raises awareness of place-based, social and environmental issues (e.g. resident displacement, environmental hazards, lack of appreciation for local talents and cultures, etc.).

The Communal Cooking Project is a series of workshops that addresses nutrition and health awareness through modes of art-making and storytelling while promoting cultural exchange through shared experience.