Farmland: Food, Justice, and Sovereignty // Ambiguous Standards of Food and Overspecification

Farmland: Food, Justice, and Sovereignty explores crucial questions of food knowledge, production, scarcity, and consumption. The exhibition examines the origins and effects of food security and food justice against the background of Michigan State University’s 170-year history in food production and consumption.

Referred to as the “East Lansing Experiment,” the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (now Michigan State University) sought not only to promote practical education in the agricultural arts but to turn the college into a model farm for the entire nation. It was the first institution for the study of agriculture of its kind, preceding its status as the first land-grant college.

Avsar Gurpinar [SDCA] and Cansu Curgen [SABCE] have been invited to exhibit some of their research by design works of ASI in the Farmland exhibition. Two of their conceptual and four graphic artworks are produced in the UK at Loughborough University and shipped to the USA to be exhibited in the MSU Broad Art Museum in East Lansing, Michigan, from January 24^th to July 25^th, 2025. The works are acquired by the museum and thus will be part of their permanent collection to be featured in their temporary exhibitions and The CORE [Center for Object Research and Engagement][1]. They travelled to the USA for the exhibition opening to promote Loughborough University and to establish connections with the relevant schools at Michigan State University. They will also partake in the MSU Science Festival in April. They will deliver seminars and lectures to align their program with MSU's STEAM project (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).

[1] The CORE is an active, educational space featuring art from the museum’s permanent collection. On view is a wide range of works that span 5,000 years of history. Through study and appreciation, these works offer a portal to different time periods and cultures.