Call + Response is an annual art show that brings writers and visual artists together to create and showcase original, joint works. For the first four iterations of the show, the writers called, and the visual artists responded with a new twist each year.
In 2015, the show will make its Baltimore debut at the E.M.P. Collective in downtown Baltimore.
Call + Response 5 is adding a new element this year to literally spice things up with the addition of Baltimore’s Blacksauce Kitchen who’s mission states “[…] we strive to make food that connects with our audience; food that makes someone pause; food that prompts two girls to skip towards the tent; food that makes a man dance ever so subtly because it reminds him of another time or place; food that helps people remember.”
FIRST
Blacksauce Kitchen created three distinct bites that highlight the sweet, sour, and smoky flavors. All 18 of the writers and visual artists convened at EMP in early May 2015 and met their pairing for the first time. Together, they tasted their assigned flavor profile (three pairs had sweet bites, three pairs had sour bites, and three pairs had smoky bites).
Sweet = Smoked almond blondie
Sour = Pickled asparagus fries
Smoky = Smoked brisket fried rice
THEN
The nine acclaimed, emerging and award-winning poets, fiction writers, journalists, and essayists largely based in Baltimore, then wrote short, reactive pieces that are a thousand words or less. All in a unique, original conversation with Blacksauce and their assigned flavor profile. (READ ALL THE WRITING HERE.)
NEXT
Each written response then went to nine acclaimed, emerging and award-winning visual artists who entered the conversation, too. It is not a dialogue not just with the written work, but also with the food pairing.
THE OPENING
At the Call + Response 5 opening on September 11, 2015 at the EMP Collective, the 18 pairs of works will be on display and Blacksauce will serve the bites that inspired the pairings. The audience will be able to experience the flavors that began the conversation.
PARTICIPANTS
blacksauce kitchen
WRITERS
Rion Amilcar Scott
Julie Fisher
Lucia Graves
Terrell Kellam
Dora Malech
Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis
Noah Siela
Khaliah Williams
VISUAL ARTISTS
Juliet Ames
Call + Response 5 is co-curated by Kira Wisniewski and Dillon Babington. Special thanks to Carly Bales of the E.M.P. Collective.
Poster designed by Amanda Shepherd.
Call + Response would not be possible without the generosity of folks and organizations like you. If you're interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities contact us for details. You can also click here to donate: http://tinyurl.com/CallandResponse5
