Kapi'olani Community College hosts Smithsonian Exhibition of "Key Ingredients: America by Food" beginning June 28

Exhibition explores the diverse food traditions of America; Hawaiʻi exhibit to include local food component

Kapiʻolani Community College
Contact:
Louise Yamamoto, (808) 734-9513
Kapiʻolani Community College
Kim Schauman, (808) 732-5402
Hawaii Council for the Humanities
Posted: Jun 17, 2008

HONOLULU — Kapiʻolani Community College, in cooperation with the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities (HCH), will host the Hawaiʻi showing of "Key Ingredients: America by Food," a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition which delves into the historical, regional and social traditions that merge in everyday meals and celebrations of the American table. The exhibition will be on view beginning Saturday, June 28, and continuing through Friday, August 22, at Kapiʻolani Community College‘s Lama Library and is free to the public.

Kapiʻolani Community College is one of four locations on three islands that will showcase the exhibit, but has the distinct honor of being the first site to introduce the exhibition to Hawaiʻi. The exhibit will move from Kapiʻolani Community College to Kapolei Public Library and then on to the neighbor islands.

"We are very pleased to be able to host ʻKey Ingredients‘ on our campus. We hope that the exhibit will inspire both the campus and the wider community to think more about the rich and varied food ways of our communities," said Louise Pagotto, Kapiʻolani Community College‘s Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Through a selection of artifacts, photographs and illustrations, "Key Ingredients" examines how culture, ethnicity, landscape and tradition influence the foods and flavors enjoyed across the nation. The exhibition looks at the evolution of the American kitchen and how food industries have responded to the technological innovations that have enabled Americans to choose an ever-wider variety of frozen, prepared and fresh foods.

The Hawaiʻi showing of "Key Ingredients" will feature a local food component, "Hawaiʻi by Food: A Celebration of Hawaiʻi‘s Food Culture," that will highlight the progression of food trends in Hawaiʻi from the plantation days to the Hawaiʻi Regional Cuisine movement.

Kapiʻolani Community College is planning a variety of activities to coincide with the exhibit, including a lecture and film series, story telling sessions, and a mixed plate art exhibit with local elementary schools. Information on these activities and the local exhibit, including exhibit hours, can be found online at www.kcc.hawaii.edu.

An interactive website, www.keyingredients.org, has been developed in conjunction with the exhibition. The site invites people across the country to share their family recipes and food stories, learn about other food traditions and identify favorite small town eateries.

"Key Ingredients" is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about "Key Ingredients" and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.

For more information, visit: http://www.museumonmainstreet.org