Collections
2023
Hokie for a Day
Hosted by Virginia Tech, the Hokie for a day event brings 5th graders ranging from 9-11 years old from all over to see what college life is like. They are given the unique opportunity to explore majors, participate in hands-on expos run by students and faculty, and speak to student athletes. For our expo, we challenged students’ preconceptions of natural paints and encouraged them to think about their food waste through painting fruits and vegetables using food-based paints.
Virginia Tech Science Festival
Held since 2014, this expo-style, family-friendly event reaches 4,000-6,000 visitors, including families, school field trips, and Virginia Tech students. Festival guests participate in hands-on activities, see engaging demonstrations, and talk one-on-one with practicing scientists at about 100 different exhibits. At the Food Magic exhibit, parents and children learned how valuable their food waste can be by creating and painting with their own watercolor paints using food-derived pigments.
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts & the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) at Virginia Tech present an unprecedented collaboration, Innovation & Creativity. Displayed at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, the exhibit, “New Visions: Captured Innovation,” is intended to highlight 2-dimensional art that explores innovation and collaboration, incorporating alternative academic or “real-world” activities through the artworks conception, process, and or presentation. Our team member, Avery Gendell, worked with Professor Okumura to create a two-part submission using fully natural paints.
2024
West End Gallery
This exhibition aims to raise awareness, educate, and inspire a radical rethinking of how food should be consumed, used, and recycled within the local community in the future, by showcasing art paintings. The displayed paintings were produced using natural pigments during the Hokie Day and Science Festival 2023. These pigments were derived from fruit and vegetable waste produced by the local school cafeteria and West End Dining Hall. Using a specially designed device, participants created their own pigments and artworks, exploring the unique qualities and application techniques of natural colors.
Pulaski Art Center Workshop
The workshop aims to educate and inspire children in the local village to radically rethink how food should be consumed and recycled within their community by teaching them how to turn food waste into pigment for their art creations.