Gallery Reception for Artist Su Legatt
Su Legatt was our 2021-22 Student artist mentor. She is exhibiting photos as well as community cookbooks from her ongoing series “Dish.” Visitors are welcomed to participate in the exhibit and offer a recipe for a significant dish in their life to compile into an Art in Motion Community Cook Book. The show will be up from May 17th - June 19th and on view during open hours of the Cafe.
DISH
ONGOING
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Potlucks are a simple custom that seems to transcend political affiliations, economic status, religious orientation, and all other social demographics. While the culture of rural communities is constantly changing, the simple gathering of humans around food, is not. However, the influence of technology as a driving force for communication and professional lifestyles requiring repeated moves have altered our ability for casual discourse at an accelerated pace, directly affecting our immediate communities. This project will bring people together for intimate exchange and preserve private moments, collectively building the foundation of the Minnesotan identity, all while building new communities and strengthening existing networks.
Pot Luck participants are asked to bring an ancestral or family dish to the event. Because each event is a regional activity, these dishes provide insight into the culinary traditions of that particular community. These dishes are archived through photography and the collection of recipe cards. The photographs, taken at the beginning of each meal, serve as a form of portraiture, connecting the dish back to its creator, forming a collection to honor the individual efforts gathered for a community experience. The recipe cards will be paired with each photograph to create a regional cookbook. This will be shared publicly online.
A book about this project and prints from this series are available for purchase in the SHOP.
(This project is support by funds from the Lake Region Arts Council and Minnesota State Arts Board.)
BIOGRAPHY
Su Legatt is an artist, educator, and community organizer. Her photography, installation, and social practice projects explore the quiet, often unnoticed, individual moments of every day life. Legatt utilizes a variety of community engagement techniques and crowd sourcing methods to create opportunities for participants to share with others in the hopes of creating micro moments of empathy. Legatt believes that by sharing these moments, memories, and personal associations, we can strengthen our identities, broaden our personal relations, and strengthen our communities through simple exchange and understanding.
Legatt is a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead and Utah State University, as well as a former intern of Anderson Ranch Arts Center. She has taught photography, digital media, and professional development courses at Lake Superior College, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and North Dakota State University and a wide variety of workshops throughout the United States.
Legatt’s current work examines the cultural and historical aspects of the rapidly evolving culture of rural Minnesota. Legatt works with various non-profit organizations to organize and create cultural events that help to improve the social structures and relations within each community. As an Arts and Culture Commissioner for the city of Moorhead, Ms. Legatt works with legislators, non and for profit organizations, and local artists to support and strengthen the role of the region’s creative community.