Fullness Organic Farm founder Grant Guidroz isn’t “looking ‘up’ for the solution” to undo government policies he believes have traditionally benefitted only mega-farms and contributed to the nation’s staggering obesity rate.
Instead, he believes progress will come from the growing number of consumers who are committed to buying locally produced, nutrient-dense foods.
As 225 Dine reports, Guidroz—who sells organic produce at the Red Stick Farmers Market and through Indie Place—was one of six panelist who participated in Baton Rouge Gallery’s ARTiculate speaker series last Saturday.
Moderated by 225 contributor Maggie Heyn Richardson, the event focused on the farm-to-table movement and the art presented in the gallery’ “Before the Fork” exhibition. Guidroz’s comments came toward the end of a lively discussion that spanned topics such as school lunches, GMOs and the terminal “freshness” of Hostess cupcakes.
The new, free exhibition focuses on how the food we eat impacts us. Joining Guidroz on the panel were Slow Food Baton Rouge co-founder and LSU professor of horticulture Carl Motsenbocker, City Pork corporate chef Ryan André and artists Frankie Gould, Ross Jahnke and David Scott Smith.
During the panel discussion, the artists shared their points of view in creating paintings and sculpture that explore a range of perspectives about food systems. Smith, who grew up on a farm in eastern Washington, drew from his disillusionment with GMOs by creating a collection of three-dimensional creatures gone wrong, their bodies grafted with mass-produced foods like chicken wings and corn.
The exhibition, which is on display at Baton Rouge Gallery through May 26 and is free during gallery hours, “is right in line with national trends in looking at the intersection of food and culture,” writes Heyn Richardson for 225 Dine.
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