Student-Curated Exhibit at The Culinary Institute of America
Hyde Park, NY – Over the course of a semester, students in The Culinary Institute of America’s Food History class—part of the college’s Applied Food Studies program—have been researching and curating a museum exhibit for the public. Amber Waves: Transforming Grain, Transforming America in the 19th and 20th Centuries is the result of this semester’s project. Through the use of primary texts, cultural artifacts, and multi-media, the exhibit showcases many aspects related to the relationship between food, history, and cultural expressions.
This exhibit delves into how the advancements in grain production impacted American society in the United States through the 1800s and 1900s. Students considered seven topics of importance: technology, labor, alcohol, economy, politics, science, and ritual. In researching this project, they explored the role of grain in the field, kitchen, and industry.
Students selected artifacts and wrote informative and descriptive text as well as produced audio and visual elements to this exhibit. An opening reception will be held on Friday, December 13 from 9–10 a.m. in the Conrad N. Hilton Library on the CIA campus in Hyde Park. Student curators will be on hand to answer questions regarding the exhibit.
The exhibit will be on display in the Donald and Barbara Tober Exhibit Room in the Hilton Library until April 2020. The hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Images:
Photo 1: Many different kinds of grains are featured on a 1903 Battle Creek Sanitarium breakfast menu, part of the student-curated “Amber Waves: Transforming Grain, Transforming America in the 19th and 20th Centuries” exhibit at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY through April 2020. (Image credit: From the CIA Menu Collection)
Photo 2: The 1931 cookbook, 88 Mealtime Surprises Made With Bond Bread, from the General Baking Co., is on display in the “Amber Waves” student-curated exhibit at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY through April 2020. (Image credit: From the CIA Archives & Special Collections)
Photo 3: A post-prohibition drink list from The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans in the 1930s—an example of the vast role of grains in American society—is part of the student-curated “Amber Waves: Transforming Grain, Transforming America in the 19th and 20th Centuries” exhibit at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY through April 2020. (Image credit: From the CIA Menu Collection)
Media Contacts:
Beth Forrest, PhD
Professor
845-451-1767
Beth.Forrest@culinary.edu
Nicole Semenchuk
Library Archives
845-451-1270
Nicole.Semenchuk@culinary.edu
About The Culinary Institute of America:
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of more than 50,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
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