Food for thought: JMU students explore food lifestyles across the globe

With influence from the award-winning book, “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats,” JMU students and faculty are exploring various food lifestyles across the globe through two photography exhibitions and a Visiting Scholars Program lecture.

Prism Gallery and the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability present the exhibition, “Hungry Planet: What will the world eat?” in the lower level of the Festival Conference and Student Center during regular building hours. The exhibit runs through March 31. Photographs feature family food portraits from countries around the world with a typical week’s worth of food and explore questions of food sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Throughout the month of February, Prism International Gallery houses another exhibition in the upper level of the Festival Conference and Student Center. Corinne Diop, art professor at JMU, presents student work from her The Photograph as Document class titled, “Hunger in Harrisonburg.” Photography from Sara Bang, Melissa Carter, Allison Church, Jennifer Esterbrook, Victoria Hall, Allyson Newman, Donovan Seow and Sarah Smith is based on semester-long research on the issue of hunger in the local area.

In collaboration with both exhibitions, there will be a Visiting Scholars Program lecture on Feb. 7 by “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” authors Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio. These award-winning photojournalists will discuss “The World on a Plate: A Global Photographic Feast” at 6:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Festival Conference and Student Center. The lecture is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked to consider bringing a donation of food or funds for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

Menzel’s photographs and international feature stories on science and the environment have been published in National Geographic, Life, Smithsonian, the New York Times Magazine, Time, Stern and GEO.

D’Aluisio is a former television news producer, the editor and lead writer, photo assistant and stylist for the books “Material World: A Global Family Portrait” and “Women in the Material World.”

In 2005, the James Beard Foundation awarded “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” Best Book of the Year and Best Book: Reference and Writing on Food.

Many JMU organizations and offices are sponsoring the programming, including The Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence, Visiting Scholars Program, Office of Cross Disciplinary Studies and Planning, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services, Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World Education and Research Committee, Department of Justice Studies, Madison Art Collection, Office of Residence Life, Outreach and Engagement, Department of Political Science and University Studies.

For additional information, visit www.jmu.edu/stewardship.