Brew House Arts‘ next show, Buttery Spread, opens as fall leaves twirl to the ground, revealing a haven of artistic, intellectual, and culinary discovery. This exhibit, the idea of Emma Honcharski and Chas Wagner, is a tribute to the sensual, playful, and exploratory qualities of art, and it opens on November 9. Visitors are not only treated to a visual feast, but are also invited to dig into the vivid narratives around what we consume, both with our tongues and with our thoughts.
Emma Honcharski, a media professional, artist, writer, and facilitator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is no stranger to the marriage of food and art. Honcharski adds a complex blend of culinary narrative and creative expression to the event as a co-founder of Dinner Bell Mag, a periodical that explores into experimental food writing and art since 2019.
Buttery Spread’s kaleidoscopic universe is a domain where paintings, mixed-media pieces, soft sculpture, and installations tell stories about food, each piece paying tribute to the humorous and profound relationship we have with what graces our plates. A pleasant reading area lays among a variety of colors and forms, where the pages of books, zines, and magazines unroll stories that go beyond traditional culinary literature, into a realm where food becomes a metaphor, a narrative, a discussion starter.
Darian Johnson, known for his ability to transform beloved animation into emotive artwork, is one of the artists involved in this culinary-artistic journey. His art, which is typically described as a process of creating several picture layers for a piece using online reference materials, reflects the adventurous spirit that Buttery Spread epitomizes.
The creators hope that this exhibit will generate conversations on the importance of sharing—a lunch with a neighbor, a book with a friend, and the inherent community that arises around the act of sharing. “The artists and authors in Buttery Spread use food as a starting point,” the curators explain, throwing light on the plethora of subjects explored—form, materiality, craft, identity, and our inherent relationship to the environment.
Among the artists on display are Vania Evangelique, JR Holtz, and a slew of others whose works reflect the various narratives of food, its cultural significance, and the nuanced art of sharing.
On November 9, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., the doors of Buttery Spread will swing open to the public at Brew House Gallery, welcoming the city to a communal banquet of art and ideas. The exhibit, which promises to be as nutritious to the mind as it is to the mouth, will dazzle visitors until December 30, 2023.