The Full Plate project has taken giant steps since Brenda Brucker came up with an idea to connect art and food for a year-long celebration during Canada’s sesquicentennial.
Late in 2016, Brucker and Maureen Cameron presented the idea to Town Council and on Sunday another step forward took place in St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church, where dozens spent the afternoon brainstorming ideas for the coming year.
Much of the conversation arose from storyboards created by Creston Museum manager Tammy Bradford, who highlighted the Creston Valley agricultural sector from 1898 to present.
Fields Forward has stepped forward to sponsor the Full Plate project.
"Tammy's museum project outlining the local agricultural history seemed to provide a spark, encouraging conversations and ideas, said organizer Brucker.
"Our goals with Full Plate included inspiring new connections and collaborations within the community."
Cameron, now the committee chair, said, "Full Plate has been developed as a Canada 150 project designed to bring awareness of the diversity and bounty of our valley. That this can be accomplished through the arts is inspiring."
Full Plate is a unique subcommittee of the Creston Arts Council, sponsored by Fields Forward, with a mandate to inspire visual and performance art, while highlighting the Agricultural sector, its history and value in the Creston Valley.
“Full Plate is a wonderful way of bringing together these very important parts of our greater community,” said Coun. Joanna Wilson, Creston’s representative to national Canada 150 celebrations.
Promoting and documenting local celebrations around food and art is the committee’s mission, but it is up to local artists and farmers to come up with ideas and put them into action. The committee has described itself as a grass roots committee who’ve met to begin to envision and structure this idea and want to reach out to the community from Yahk to Riondel to see who is inspired and what might be possible -- from artists of all mediums and anyone in the food industries.
The Full Plate committee plans to record events and projects, in it's role of promotion and advocacy. Youtube videos and photos will be placed on the Full Plate website (fullplate.ca). Stay tuned.