The Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies welcomes Sky High Farm co-executive director Sarah Workneh in conversation with Ghetto Gastro co-founder Jon Gray for this year’s Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Lecture. Their discussion takes inspiration from the practice of Michi Meko, whose works on view in the SCAD Museum of Art’s Evans Center gallery address and process “the African American experience navigating public spaces while remaining buoyant within them.” Workneh and Gray are both adept at fostering greater accessibility within historically hostile worlds, from fine art and culinary scenes to pursuits in nature. Together they reflect on their experiences shaping public spaces and centering Blackness in their work.
This event is free and open to the public. It is presented by the SCAD Museum of Art’s Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies with generous support from the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation.
About the speakers
Sarah Workneh is co-executive director of Sky High Farm, a regenerative farm that offers short- and long-term solutions to food insecurity through food access, education, grantmaking, and climate research. Workneh joined Sky High Farm in early 2023 after more than 20 years of experience running alternative art educational spaces — first at Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency and more recently at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. Workneh’s central interests in the history of social movements and models of liberatory education and praxis informed significant structural, experiential, and financial shifts at Skowhegan, including a major capital campaign and Master Facilities Plan. Workneh also integrated the school’s food program in support of the resurgence of small-scale local farms and collaborated with neighbors on watershed and land conservation. She has spoken at institutions across the U.S., including the Studio Museum in Harlem, and published many essays for media platforms such as MOLD Magazine. Workneh maintains her commitment to art through serving on the boards of the RAIR residency program in Philadelphia; Denniston Hill in the Hudson Valley; the Star of Hope Foundation in Vinalhaven, Maine; Project EATS in New York; and the Buxton School in Williamstown, Mass.
Jon Gray is a Bronx-born cultural entrepreneur and co-founder of Ghetto Gastro, a groundbreaking culinary collective that fuses food, art, and activism. Through immersive experiences and bold storytelling, Gray uses cuisine as a platform to explore race, identity, and community. His work has been featured at institutions like The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York.
About the Evans Center
Established in 2011, the SCAD Museum of Art’s Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies celebrates the imaginative breadth and expressive legacy of African American art and culture. Through experimental public programs, immersive workshops, riveting lectures, and topical symposia, the Evans Center immerses students and community members in the rich tapestry of Black expression.
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