Food And Art, Intersected

Wisdom has it that “a picture is worth a thousand words” and “good things come in small packages.”

A collaboration between Eve Smith, director of visual arts at the Arts Center of the Ozarks, and Case Dighero, the culinary director at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, proves both statements are true.

Smith thought of Dighero as she was planning for this fall’s 10th annual 5x5 Exhibition, a collection of tiny works of art created, donated and auctioned off to support the Springdale arts center.

“Five inches by five inches is such a small space, it’s mind-boggling,” Smith says.

“The hardest part of getting one done is deciding what to do.”

What Smith and Dighero decided to do was what each does best. Dighero cooked;

Smith painted.

But first, they talked. And thought. And talked some more.

“Creativity means to create something new, fresh and original,” Smith says.

“When I asked Case to collaborate with me on my 5x5, I began to see that visual arts and culinary arts are under the same umbrella of creative expression - that the two mediums simply utilize different palettes.”

“The idea of food intersecting with art is a natural connection - a connection that a professional foodie such as myself lives for,” Dighero adds.

So on a Tuesday, when Crystal Bridges was closed, the chef set up his palette, and the artist brought her camera and her sketchbook.

“He chose his main ingredient as honey,” Smith says, “because of a friend who owns his own bees. He had collected a honeycomb in a Mason jar, and he had honey and chiles he wanted to infuse into the honey, plus pears, grapes ... He just set out this whole palette - his palette.”

Smith’s resulting painting was just the beginning, however. At Crystal Bridges’ Wednesdays Over Water event Sept. 19, Dighero again set up food and beverages to pair with Director of Curatorial David Houston’s lecture on artists’ inspiration. Smith painted as he spoke.

“Case and I have kind of inspired each other,” Smith says.