Photo Feature: Ghosts of Our Meat

2013-14 Arts Award recipient Sue Coe seemed constantly on the move during her weeklong residency. There was an awards ceremony in her honor, a documentary screening about her life and work, a public Q&A session and the opening reception for her exhibition, The Ghosts of Our Meat. And between these public events, Coe shared meals with students and professors, led drawing and printmaking classes and delivered individualized critiques to senior studio-art majors as they prepared for their final exhibition.

Clara Fritz ’14 relished the chance to page through Coe’s personal sketchbook during a small-group drawing class. “It was surreal, and it felt like a real honor. “Seeeing the hard facts [about the slaughterhouse industry] communicated in such an artistic manner was extremely thought-provoking and emotionally affecting.”

"I gained a sense of the connections between social activism and art, and I learned a lot about different methods to approach an audience through art,” said Emily Lehman ’14, another art & art-history major who interacted closely with Coe throughout her stay.

Lucas Kang ’14, who had also worked with muralist Paul Manlove in the fall to create a group on-campus mural just a few weeks before, especially enjoyed the question-and-answer session with Coe. “I loved how direct and honest she was, and how firm she was in her beliefs.”

“It showed what one is able to accomplish when they find their passion,” said art & art-history major Stephen Sieg ’14. “My friends and I really begin to ask questions about the ethics of food production and consumption, which is a process that many of us haven’t investigated thoroughly enough. This is what a true artist can accomplish.”