I recently read an article about the Oxford Dictionary's 2007 word of the year: locavore. A "locavore" is someone who purchases and eats mainly local foods, such as produce from nearby farmer's markets, or food that's grown and delivered from within a 100 mile radius. There are plenty of benefits to this: fresher food, less of a need for preservatives, less fuel used in shipping, and better support for smaller, local businesses. It also means you follow the seasonal changes more, eating what's in season and what's available.
Ever since I read about that term, I've been thinking that "locavore" could also pertain to someone who consumes and enjoys art on a local level. Sure, we may enjoy films and websites and music and visual art from around the world, but there's something important about the local as well.
In our short time as Wild Goose Creative, I've already been exposed to some amazing local artists that I never knew were busy creating! I think of our friend, comic-book artist Michael Neno, who will be featured in this month's Third Thursdays. I think of all the artists I've met working at Ohio State. All the local theatre companies. All the visual artists and photographers whose work hangs in local galleries and coffee shops around Columbus. I think of the huge list of musicians gearing up to play at Rumba Cafe just down the street. And I think of the things we've been able to create and enjoy just as a group within Wild Goose Creative.
Thinking of all of those aspects makes me want to call myself a locavore. Just like being a culinary locavore, being an artistic locavore means you're better connected to what's around you. You're supporting the efforts of someone who might live down the street from you. You're encouraging and consuming their art, taking what's available and adapting to the seasons. Most importantly, by being a locavore, you're getting to interact with them personally. How many opportunities do you get to ask a painter about their technique? To hear a musician tell the story behind one of their songs? To have a writer tell you what inspired their latest poem?
I that's what being a locavore that means, then you can definitely call me one.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
A very late comment of course... I also enjoy that sort of creative output, the kind that involves artists giving you a sort of Inside Scoop into what makes their art work. Like organic and locally grown foods where it is possible to learn about what went into the production of the produce, what kind of food it got, what kind of garden it was grown in, etc., local art can be traced back to its origins. Very cool!
Post a Comment