We have many diverse and unique programs operating around the world.
Stay tuned for more information to come about them!
Bread Therapy in Scotland
Here is a selection of some of my bread works. They are either from my work in bread sculpture or through my work with groups working with bread dough as a type of art therapy.
Bread Bodies– I cast my body, fill it with bread dough, bake it in a big oven then I use the bread body in various performances as a means of self expression. I then leave it to mold which produces some amazing colors!
Bread men – whenever I am making dough or bread I nearly always make a bread man, or a dough man, small ones or big ones. I like to think of them being an expression of little parts of my character.
Owlpig – was made by a homeless woman who in the beginning didn’t talk or want to play with the dough but after I left her, she slowly started opening up and this is what she called her final shape. The nose of owlpig is actually one of my wee dough men.
Ring of people – I worked with a group of heard of hearing women all in their 80’s. They all seemed to connect playing with the dough with their childhood and their homelife. I particularly liked this little ring of people, it seemed to express the solidarity of the group.
Fists of dough – sometimes when I am with a group I give them all a piece of dough to make a fist of, then I bake it and give it back to them at the end of the session.
Community building in Romania
Gabrovo Bread House, Rossi Anastopoulo (USA)
During the summer of 2014, I spent almost two months interning with the Bread Houses Network in Bulgaria. While there, I lived and volunteered in the original Bread House in Gabrovo, an incredible building that is more than a century old and filled with all sorts of treasures from around the world. One of the most special aspects of my work was the chance to participate in, and eventually lead, the many bread making workshops we held, including ones with children, orphans, fellow volunteers, and people from a daily center for the mentally handicapped. Although the process of making the bread remained more or less the same, each workshop was a unique experience, with people connecting through the dough and experiencing new sensations in different ways each time.
While in Bulgaria, I was able to see how bread making can help people connect and learn, despite the existence of any barriers due to ethnicity, race, class, or even language (I barely spoke a word of Bulgarian, yet I found myself laughing right along with everybody else countless times). Inspired by my experience, I have decided to begin a Bread House program when I return in the fall to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where I attend university. Because it is a small college town, Chapel Hill has a high population of young students, but unfortunately they are not as connected to the surrounding community as they could be. I am hoping to help bridge this gap and create relationships between the student and the town of Chapel Hill, as well as eliminate existing cultural barriers, especially those of class. As this program is founded and hopefully continues to grow, I will add updates and descriptions about our process and experience. Happy baking!
Bread makers of Porirua, Unite!
Artist Simon Gray and a baker without borders is working with a diversity of ethnic and cultural groups across Porirua City to explore the symbolic and religious power of bread by sharing bread making techniques, customs and stories. The project invites bread makers and bread lovers to come together to develop a “Porirua Loaf”, one that reflects the diversity of people who call Porirua home. A Sourdough Starter Exchange will support the development of the “Porirua Mother Starter” that forms the basis of the “Porirua Loaf”. They will be using locally sourced ingredients such as spring water, sea sat and native herbs, which will be collected and shared at workshops and community events.
During the making, baking and eating of bread time will be made for other creative activities and discussions to make real the transformative and fun aspects of the daily staple that unites us all, bread. The project takes inspiration not just from bread making but underlaying the work is the acknowledgement that to make a beautiful and tasty loaf requires the best quality ingredients and time to bring these together. In the same way that a successful creative art project involves bringing together people who are passionate, creative and have the time to develop a sustainable and inclusive project.
You can follow the project here: http://teza.org.nz/bread-makers-of-porirua-unite/ or the facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/bread
Bread in the Guatemalan highlands – the Community Cloud Foundation’s Conservation
By Rob and Tara Cahill, Directors of the Community Cloud Forest Conservation ( http://www.cloudforestconservation.org/)
Lidia and Elvira are teachers at the Community Cloud Foundation’s Conservation in the Guatemalan central highlands. They are part of the WALC program, where they learned to bake during the fall WALC session in Nov of 2014. These teachers have been honing their baking skills since, providing bread to primary and secondary school kids visiting the agroecology center in CCFC’s Kids & Birds program.
Rob Cahill, the main organizer, shares that: “There is a close connection between our gardens and our bread. One of the favorites of our bakers (and our bread eaters for that matter) is Taro Bread, a medium whole wheat bread with taro in the mix. This is a delicious connection between a traditional Maya crop and bread. Without a doubt, corn and the beloved tortilla is regarded in highest esteem in the central highlands among the Maya, but bread is a welcome change from time to time, especially for snacks. Making bread is a treasured time to both work and visit. These young women are taking bread baking into the realm of art and science.”
Crowd funding campaign for Bakers Without Borders in the Twin Cities area
Adam, who is an owner and Baker of the Majestic Chef Bakery and Pastry Baker at the Wedge Co-op, intends to start three programs for social change in the Twin Cities. In the first one, he’s going to use the Theater of Crumbs method, developed by Dr. Nadezhda Savova-Grigorova, in order to organize puppet shows in which the attendees will teach each other about diversity within the community and will acknowledge the variety of their own opinions. The second program, called Let Them Eat Cake! is an initiative to support those in need with healthy food through picnics, meal events and meal deliveries.
The third part of Adam’s campaign is Bakers On The Run! Adam will create a running team which will act as both a fundraising platform for events and activities. Moreover, the team will provide mentorship for future generations of food service professionals.
Let’s support this great initiative HERE