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The author of this post, Cheryl Heller<\/a>, designs change and growth for business leaders and social entrepreneurs. She is Founding Chair of MFA Design for Social Innovation<\/a> at SVA.<\/em><\/span> And art, as has been proven since the first caveperson picked up a Windsor and Newton sable-tooth tiger haired brush, has the power to transform \u2013 perhaps far greater than the stuff we\u2019re trying now.<\/p>\n Shut up and make art for a moment, see if it works.<\/p>\n Art has the power to transform \u2013 perhaps far greater than the stuff we\u2019ve been trying. <\/i> Tweet This Quote<\/a>
\n![\"Art7\"](\"https:\/\/wary-sunlight.flywheelsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2000\/01\/Art7.jpg\")
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\nLast Friday, a gallery exhibit opened in New York for the express purpose of inspiring people to think differently about food, it\u2019s safety and our relationship to it. The artists were the 25 first year students in the MFA Design for Social Innovation program at SVA in New York. Each student was given a wooden table (and chairs if they wanted them). Without changing the size or shape of the table, the assignment was to create a three-dimensional sculpture that represents food and a social issue of importance to them.<\/p>\n<\/a>The work reflected the international perspectives of the artists who come from 12 different countries. And most of it had a wonderful sense of humor: A shrine to the \u201ccronut\u201d made a point of mocking our worship of fads and our fast food culture, a table turned into a faux foosball game illustrated the seemingly un-winnable mismatch between small farmers and big agriculture. Two pieces dealt with weight problems in obvious and subtle ways: one by literally making the table and chair \u201cfat\u201d, the other by weighing each person who sat down as a reminder of what it\u2019s like to have anorexia. Another table illustrated the bureaucracy and red tape in India that keeps rice out of the mouths of the poor people who need it. And one Japanese student made her own small gallery of \u201clast meals\u201d as an eerie reminder of the death penalty. Not to mention a table grown from mushrooms (thank you Ecovative<\/a>) and a customized Halal truck.<\/p>\n<\/a>Food is a primary concern for everything that lives, regardless of where one is on the food chain. Food systems and food safety are central to social innovation \u2013 essential to solving issues of poverty, health, economics, justice and environment. \u201cPutting it all on the table\u201d is an expression that means to be completely transparent and forthright – in communication, it\u2019s not holding back on the real issues.<\/p>\nUnreasonable request:<\/h3>\n
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