Student-Curated Exhibit at The Culinary Institute
of America
Hyde Park, NY 鈥 Over the course of a semester, students in The Culinary Institute of America鈥檚
Food History class have been researching and curating a museum exhibit for the
public. Guns and Butter: American Food
Experiences during the World Wars is the result of this semester鈥檚 project.
Through the use of primary texts, cultural artifacts, and multi-media the
exhibit showcases many aspects related the relationship between food, World War
I, and World War II in American history.
The title of the exhibit draws on the economic theory of a
nation鈥檚 resources. As part of the National Defense Act of 1916, a
Congressional debate over the use of nitrates for American farmers or to build
munitions brought the phrase 鈥淕uns vs. Butter鈥 into public consciousness. In
this exhibit, CIA students not only mark the centennial of the armistice of
WWI, but reframe the debate to illustrate the intimate relationship between
guns AND butter, that is war and food.
Some of the themes they explored include: food production,
technology, and preservation; the role of the government in food rationing and
civilian responses; Victory Gardens and the Women鈥檚 Land Army; and diets of
soldiers, POWs, and聽 those in internment
camps. Informational text is gleaned from primary and secondary sources.
Students have augmented the exhibit by producing multi-media elements as well.
An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, July 24, from
5:30鈥6:30 p.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 and to prepare and
serve recipes that reflect themes in the exhibit.
The exhibit will be on display in the Donald and Barbara Tober Exhibit Room in the Hilton Library until December
2018. The hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.鈥8:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30
a.m.鈥7 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m.鈥5 p.m.
Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the
public.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
Wartime
Canning and Cooking Book, published by the New York World-Telegram newspaper in 1943 to help families use
rationed ingredients during World War II. This is one of many items on
display as part of the exhibit, Guns and Butter: American Food Experiences
during the World Wars, curated by students in The Culinary Institute of America鈥檚
Food History class. The exhibit runs through the end of the year in the Conrad
N. Hilton Library on the CIA鈥檚 Hyde Park, NY campus. (Credit: CIA Archives)
Media Contacts:
Beth Forrest, PhD
Professor
845-451-1767
Beth.Forrest@culinary.edu
Nicole Semenchuck
Library Archives
845-451-1270
Nicole.Semenchuck@culinary.edu
About The Culinary Institute of America:
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world鈥檚 premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master鈥檚, bachelor鈥檚, 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 nearly 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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