Land of Milk & Honey / La tierra que mana leche y miel
September 1-December 31, 2022 / 1 de septiembre – 31 de diciembre, 2022
705 Front St.
Downtown
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Land of Milk & Honey is a traveling multidisciplinary arts and culture program that focuses on concepts around agriculture in the regions of California and Mexico and is presented by the MexiCali Biennial. Drawing inspiration from John Steinbeck’s portrayal of the region as a corrupted Eden, the program questions ethical, cultural, and regional practices related to foodways, and the venture from seed to table. The biblical reference of a “land of milk and honey” first became associated with California as a tool for promoting the state as a land of opportunity; a destination for those in search of a better way of life – a terra firma that would provide sustenance and abundance. This boosterism also served as an ethos that fueled “Manifest Destiny” and resulted in land grabs, ecological destruction, and social injustices.
This inaugural exhibition at Santa Cruz MAH explores artists’ views around multi-layered topics associated with agriculture including environmental impacts, cultural culinary traditions, identity and migration, regional histographies, and familial and mythical connections to food.
Participating Artists:
Boo Alejo Sorondo, Janeth Aparicio, David Bacon,
Pablo Castañeda & Eduardo Kintero, Carlos Castro Arias,
Emily C-D, Cat Chiu Phillips, Janet Diaz, Melora Garcia, Katie Herzog,
Cynthia Hooper, Albert Lopez Jr, Juan Luna-Avin,
Narsiso Martinez, Hillary Mushkin, Isidro Pérez García,
Sol2Soul Arts Collective (Fernando Armenghol, Yari Montes, Tarisse Iriarte Medina, Andrea YaYA Porras, Viviana Rubi Cruz Lopez)
Devon Tsuno, Annabel Turrado, Jessica Wimbley and Chris Christion
Land of Milk & Honey is organized by Ed Gomez, Luis G. Hernandez, Rosalía Romero and Enid Baxter Ryce, and April Lillard-Gomez.