January 2012 – Page 3 – Kristen Baumlier

Month: January 2012

Kbaumlier is a Featured Artist in the Library as Incubator Project

Posted on January 19, 2012January 18, 2012 by Kbaumlier

The Library as Incubator Project highlights the ways that libraries and artists can work together. The project periodically features artists who use libraries in the research, development, and/or promotion of their creative work.

I am featured this week, and there is an interview that talks about how I use libraries in developing my projects I am fortunate to have access to lots of different libraries in University Circle. This includes the Gund library at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Eleanor Squire library at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and libraries at CASE Western Reserve university and at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. I always start project with research, and regularly check out books and visit libraries as part of my project development process.

The team behind the Library as Incubator project started this project to call attention to one of the reasons that libraries are important to our communities and culture.

You can read the interview and feature on the Library as Incubator Site here.

Image Source:
Helen Plum Library

Links:

Library as Incubator Project: Featuring Kristen Baumlier

Cleveland – 2012 Year of Local Foods Kickoff Event – This Friday at City Hall 11am-2pm

Posted on January 18, 2012January 16, 2012 by Kbaumlier

With the holidays and Winter weather – there has been less events and activities related to food, sustainability, and energy here in Cleveland. That’s about to change this week.

With the snow that we have here in Cleveland, it might seem like local food is few and far between right now (except for maybe some root vegetables or tomato sauce you might have in your freezer.)

2012 is the year of local food in Cleveland, as part of the 2019 Cleveland Sustainable initiative. This Friday there is a kickoff event organized by the City of Cleveland’s Office of Sustainability with a Local Food Fair on Friday January 20, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Cleveland City Hall.

The event is free and you can meet local vendors, businesses, and farmers who will be there. Samples of local food will be available and information tables will be setup.

I checked, and the exhibitor booth entry is full – so expect a full house of local food providers.

Location Info:

The City of Cleveland’s Office of Sustainability
Friday, January 20, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
City Hall, Rotunda, 601 Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114.
(Note: you must bring photo identification to enter the City hall Rotunda.)

Need more information? Call 216-664-2000 ext. 5586
Image Source:
Local Food Cleveland

Links:
Local Food Cleveland

Spending Time Under a Big Mac: Kbaumlier studio update

Posted on January 17, 2012January 16, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Last week I went to a McDonald’s drive-through, ordered a Big Mac, large fry, and a coke. The experience was sort of surreal. I haven’t eaten McDonald’s for years, I don’t eat fast food, and don’t go driving through drive-through lanes to get my food. The last time I was this close to a drive-through window was when I videotaped a Burger King drive-through for a few hours for a video project a few summers ago.

The funny thing about McDonald’s food is that even though I haven’t been close to it in years – it always smells the same, looks the same, and feels familiar.

When I was a kid, my Dad had a job when he would sometimes travel. When he was out of town, we would go out to eat at least once as a treat. When I was young it was McDonald’s. When we got older it became Taco Bell or A & W.

I remember when I was little, my McDonald’s of choice was a Filet of Fish, sharing a large fry with my brothers, and a orange soda. When I got older – it became the Big Mac as my sandwich, my own large fry, and the orange soda.

Last week I spent some time working on some test shoots in my studio with the McDonald’s food that I purchased. When I was photographing the Big Mac I ended up spending lots of time literally underneath it, thinking about the familiar relationship I still have with it after all these years, and amazed by how long the smell of the food stayed in my studio.

What’s in a Big Mac? According to McDonald’s web site it is made of : 100% Beef Patty, Big Mac Bun, Pasteurized Process American Cheese, Big Mac Sauce, Lettuce, Pickle Slices, Onions.

What’s really in the Bun and Sauce – the two mysterious ingredients of the burger? Lots of ingredients.

Big Mac Bun:
— Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes)
— water
— high fructose corn syrup
— sugar
— soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil

The bun also contains 2% or less of the following:
— salt
— calcium sulfate
— calcium carbonate
— wheat gluten
— ammonium sulfate
— ammonium chloride
— sodium stearoyl lactylate *
— datem *
— ascorbic acid*
— azodicarbonamide*
— mono- and diglycerides*
— ethoxylated monoglycerides*
— monocalcium phosphate*
— enzymes*
— guar gum*
— calcium peroxide*
— soy flour*
— calcium propionate (preservative)
— sodium propionate (preservative)
— soy lecithin
— sesame seed.

* indicates: dough conditioner
Big Mac Sauce:
— Soybean oil
— pickle relish (which is made of:)
— diced pickles
— high fructose corn syrup
— sugar
— vinegar
— corn syrup
— salt
— calcium chloride
— xanthan gum
— potassium sorbate (preservative)
— spice extractives
— polysorbate 80
— distilled vinegar
— water
— egg yolks
— high fructose corn syrup
— onion powder
— mustard seed
— salt
— spices
— propylene glycol alginate
— sodium benzoate (preservative)
— mustard bran
— sugar
— garlic powder
— vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat) – fancy name for MSG
— caramel color
— extractives of paprika
— soy lecithin
— turmeric (color)
— calcium disodium EDTA (protect flavor)

My photo shoot turned out pretty well. I’m not sure I’m going to use the burger image in a piece – but it was interesting to be under the Big Mac for a while and to revisit a familiar sandwich that still seems like an old friend.

Image Source:
Kristen Baumlier

Links:

Big Mac Ingredients Article

A Little Bit Means a Lot? Don’t Gloss Over Lip Gloss

Posted on January 16, 2012January 16, 2012 by Kbaumlier

On one of my first days as Department Head where I work, the Head of our Marketing Department came to my office asking for a favor. Would I be willing to go downtown and do an interview for the local arts and culture show, Applause, on WVIZ, or local PBS station – and we had to leave in 15 minutes?

I said yes, partially as a favor to her, and also to help support the Department and school. I had no makeup or brush, but did have a colored lipgloss in my purse. After seeing myself I the monitor in the tv studio, I had feelings of gratitude for the lipgloss – since it made me look like I was “tv-ready” – and I almost looked like I had makeup on.

Since then, I always have promoted the use of lipgloss as a quick way to look as if you put on makeup – or as a fast way to look a little fresher or cleaned up.

I recently read about some of the discussion that has been occurring due to a feature that Dr. Oz did about lipgloss, that focused on potential health affects that can be caused by using lip gloss which contains petroleum jelly, which comes from petroleum. The health reports focus on putting this on your lips means that you end up eating it – and ingesting over 10 years on average 7 pounds.

In Europe, many petroleum jelly products have been banned, and scientists are concerned that the use of lipgloss might be linked to cancer. Studies have shown that women with breast cancer have twice the levels of hydrocarbons (substances found in petroleum jelly) in their breasts than women who haven’t had breast cancer.

What can be used instead? Getting a product that does not has mineral oil or petroleum jelly. Lipglosses can be made with beeswax, or other natural materials that are.

Yesterday I headed to the coop – to get a new lipgloss that does not contain mineral oil or petroleum. I haven’t gotten rid of my other glosses yet… I am still checking the ingredients and working on getting ready to let them go (I think.)

Grow Your Food Stamps – Food Stamps and Gardens

Posted on January 15, 2012January 15, 2012 by Kbaumlier

The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps can be used to buy seeds and plants, not just foods. Over 46 million Americans use food stamps (almost 15 percent of the U.S.) This information is not always publicized, and most SNAP recipients are not aware of this alternative use for their electronic benefit transfer (EBT). This information also isn’t often known or mentioned in food-justice and urban-framing circles. This option for using SNAP funds was added as an amendment to the Food Stamps Act in 1973 by Sen. James Allen (D-Ala.).

Daniel Bowman Simon, a garden advocate and graduate student, didn’t know of the provision until 2008, when someone mentioned it to him during at a farmers market. He talked to others, and got support for starting a project to help inform people on food stamps about the potential support to grow food.

Simon started the nonprofit called SNAP Gardens to spread the word about this by producing posters in several languages advising SNAP recipients that they can use their benefits for seeds. Since starting the project, requests for the posters from farmers markets in 25 states have come in. The posters are also designed to be displayed in local SNAP offices, community centers, or public housing locations.

An online resource called SNAP-Ed Connection offers training and education materials for SNAP providers who want to give would-be gardeners more guidance and support.

With the help of a $1,000 microgrant from the non-profit organization Awesome Food, SNAP Gardens will start working with The Dinner Garden (a group that sends out free starter packs of seeds by request) to set up a telephone hotline with gardening information.

Part of the grant will also pay to include a flyer about using EBT for seeds with every packet The Dinner Garden sends out, with the assumption that many of those requesting free seeds might also be eligible for SNAP.

Image Source:
SNAP Gardens

Links:

SNAP Gardens

SNAP Gardens Posters

Awesome Food

The Dinner Garden