Are You an Amazing Artist Who Loves Food?

As HRN deepens our commitment to food justice and expands our understanding of what that really means in practice, we are putting out the call for artists to adorn the HRN logo throughout 2024.

Each month, we will feature the work of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ visual artists and graphic designers to explore and interpret our monthly editorial theme. Their work will be featured on HRN channels from our newsletter, website, social media, and beyond.

To apply, please send a brief, one-page cover letter and portfolio or work sample to [email protected] with the subject line “Editorial Theme Graphic Design” + your name. If selected, you will receive $250 for each final illustration. HRN is accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Explore the inspiring work of this year's artists below.

H and Taylor say, "When thinking about the word 'regenerative' and the contexts we usually interact with it in— agriculture, gardening— it felt like an opportunity to visualize our intentions as an organization. Bringing hands into the image, representing sharing and community, the color green evoking plants and growth, and saturating the background with the color of water, we wanted to show our commitment to planting and nurturing the seeds of possibility. To regenerate is to grow again, and in the spirit of the new calendar year and looking towards spring, we hoped to inspire the HRN community to plant new intentions and grow something together— perhaps again, and perhaps anew."

Loan says, “Canh khổ qua is a traditional soup dish the Vietnamese prepared during the Lunar New Year that uses bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd, karela. In Vietnamese, 'khổ qua' means to surpass difficulties. A comfort food for many and a symbol that we are resilient despite the bitterness. Growing up, we sat down at the table to eat it together, sharing each stuffed bittermelon with a morsel of rice. It’s packed with lots of nutrients and fun to prepare. You remove the seeds and stuff it with a protein filling of your choice, like stuffed peppers or cabbage.”
 

Taylor says, "equity to me is often indicated by a feeling; a way of navigating a space with the knowledge that– because of the structures in place– you may take up the space you deserve to, and safely. Equity often shows up as inequity, acutely felt by the folks most actively championing it. Equity to me is a way of interacting with life; curious and ego-less, moving with compassion, care and intention, and is collaborative and evolving. And subject to accountability! With design input from Loan, I sought to visualize the feeling of interconnectivity– how tree rings grow like an onion peels. And how a drop of water ripples out– each layer impacting the ones around it, and interacting with our inner and outer worlds.

The words that appear within the tree rings are a collaborative effort. I asked our team to answer the question “what does equity mean to you?” What has become clear through putting together this piece is that we can’t have equity without each other."

Loan says, “Equity is getting what we need and giving what we're able to, with an understanding that we're all mutually dependent on (and ideally interested in) one another's success. In powerful social systems designed by few, equity needs to be a value prioritized by each community willing to challenge the systemic assumptions that uniquely come up for them. I think this can look like bringing forth more care, understanding and practices that help each other feel big, not small.”
 

H Conley
HRN Journalism Educator, Producer, and Engineer
They say, “Equity for me means paying attention to and platforming people at every level of food production, not just the big name chef, owner or food writer. Food production is mainly done behind the scenes, in extreme heat, close quarters, and with lots of noise. It’s much more important as an eater to think about the people making low wages and suffering repetitive injuries to get food on our plates (and how industries can shift to improve their lives) than the person who accepts the awards for their labor.”
 

Addison Austin-Lou
Research and Radio Intern
She says, “Equity to me is the right to claim and opportunity to determine- at least when it comes to food- where one's food is coming from, and having the safety to produce it in the desired ways in ways that are culturally significant. And without persecution for eating and producing in any specific way.”

Elizabeth Fisher
Research and Radio Intern and HRN High Schools Program Educator
She says, “Equity is a vision of equality with an edge, that edge being informed empathy and understanding of the structural, historical and interpersonal disadvantages and privileges for specific communities and individuals.”
 

Samuel Gerardi
Research and Radio Intern
He says, “Equity to me is both recognizing that systemic inequality exists in the world we live in and trying to allocate resources and opportunities in order to alleviate the struggles that are caused by that inequality.”

Sophia Hooper
Research and Radio Intern
She says, “When I think about equity, I think it requires a lot of active attention to inputs and outcomes- Who isn’t where they should be? Who is doing worse and why? Being curious and observant are key parts of being supportive & making better spaces.”

Asha McElroy
Research and Radio Intern

She says, “When I think of equity, I imagine the photo that many people have found on Google of 3 individuals. Each of the individuals have different heights, weights, race or ethnicities, but they are all able to see over the fence based on what they are standing on. So, to me, equity is having access to opportunities regardless of race, class, status, or wealth.”

Danielle Flitter
Research and Radio Intern
She says, “Equity means open access and opportunity for all. Equity ensures that everyone is able to have access to a given resource or resources.”

Jessica Gingrich
Research and Radio Intern
She says, “Food equity is about access and control. It’s having access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food, and also control over food choices. In other words, the ability to make decisions about the production and consumption that align with one’s health and cultural and ethical values.”
 

Rachael Markow
HRN Communications
She says, “Equity to me means being conscious of the whole picture without thinking that anyone else knows better than the actual person with the lived experience. It means ensuring that people have what they need without imposing blind standards in the name of equality that don’t really work in practice.”

Matt Patterson
HRN Audio Production Educator
He says, “To me, equity means critically evaluating systems (organizations, processes, etc) to identify ways in which they could be modified to allow all people equal access and opportunities- accounting for historic and current inequalities. ...[For] HRN that means critically evaluating our coverage, community and the opportunities we create and trying to do the same. It’s important to realize we can’t ever be “done” - a commitment to equity requires consistent attention.

Salu says, "It is on the US-Mexico border, and regarding recent tension at the border, I wanted to make an art piece about how everyone is friendly and loving. The Mexico side is not desert; it's a forest of beauty and the wall is covered in vines because that symbolizes how it is not in use and is old. After all, it's not needed anymore and most of it is run down and gone. Everyone is allowed to move freely and peacefully between countries, learn and travel, make friends, and love freely. "Borders" really shows the division between people and the importance of breaking down barriers to create a more united world. The art piece aims to showcase the beauty of unity and cooperation, highlighting the potential for a future where borders are no longer necessary."