Liz Brindley has come up with her own, unique way of combining her love of art with her passion for food and farming.
A printmaker, illustrator, farmer, educator and community organizer, Brindley presents a fascinating look at garlic, a species in the onion genus Allium, through her show and residency “Garlic,” which opens at No Land on January 13.
“Garlic” features drawings on handmade paper, prints and a huge, wall-size mural as well as installations of garlic skins, soil and a kitchen-like space. During Brindley’s two-month-long residency, No Land hosts workshops and events that are focused on art-making and food, including a printmaking workshop and a paper making workshop that incorporates garlic skins and recycled paper into the final product.
Brindley’s fascination with this bulbous plant was piqued by reading the book “A Garlic Testament: Seasons on a Small New Mexico Farm” by Stanley Crawford.” “It’s so under appreciated,” she says in a press release. “It’s in just about everything we eat, and yet it’s so precious.”
Her interest in the intersection of art and food began after graduating with a degree in studio art and art history from St. Olaf College in Minnesota in 2015. She undertook a nine-month artist residency through the school that explored the connection between land and food through installation and performance.
In 2016, Brindley landed in Santa Fe and quickly became involved with Santa Fe’s agricultural community by working at area farms and as a farmer’s assistant at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Immediately after the 2016 presidential election she founded the Creative Activists’ Network, which seeks to foster connections between creatives in order to promote equality, justice and positive social change through collaboration.
“There’s a big educational component in what I do,” Brindley adds. “Art is an entry point. It’s joyful acting that encourages people to open up to new ideas. I hope my residency facilitates discussions and bridges to conversations about food.”
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