As part of their Introduction to Museums coursework, the CGP Class of 2023 created a website based on the immigrant and food culture of Utica, New York’s population featuring multimedia information presented on several featured locations in the city. Over the course of the fall semester, students from the Class of 2023 visited restaurants, bakeries, and churches in the Greater Utica area to gather information and background on the diverse community demographics before turning their information into a user-friendly website and brochure to publicly share knowledge from conversation with these community members.
Students visited St. Volodymyr’s Catholic Church where the congregation established by Ukrainian immigrants sells fresh pierogies on Fridays
The website displays the stories the class uncovered through research and community interaction. From learning about a decades long tradition of selling pierogis on a Friday, to the nuances of different baklavas depending on the region from where it comes, and lots of tales about wanting a taste of home – the class was able to interact with community members whose stories often go unheard. The class also created a physical brochure for the local community to spread the word about the diversity of tasty foods within Utica, New York. This allowed opportunities to work on useful skills in public facing work such as design and editing, as well as a chance to reconnect with featured establishments.
Visit the website at sites.google.com/view/uticafoodproject to learn more about the project itself, view the featured establishments, and submit comments or ideas for future fieldwork and research on the project via the uticafoodproject@gmail.com address. Many thanks to all those who collaborated to make this project a reality.