An Appetite for Exploration

Nestled in the soil, its shell breaks apart, its roots begin to spread. It grows outward and upward into something truly extraordinary, invigorated by its nurturing environment.

In more ways than one, it’s a process that lies at the heart of “Your Food Story: Storytelling through the Photography of Community Landscapes,” a new program at the Penn Museum—funded by a grant from the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation—through which 12 students from West Philadelphia’s Sayre High School embarked this summer on their own journeys of growth and self-realization.

The concept for this six-week pilot program was born out of the success of the Museum’s Unpacking the Past program, which introduces nearly 6,000 Philadelphia middle-schoolers each year to concepts in archaeology, anthropology, and human history. Staff including Jennifer Brehm, Merle-Smith Director of Learning and Community Engagement, and Tia Jackson-Truitt, SW’03, the Museum’s inaugural Chief Diversity Officer, wanted to find ways to connect with even more students who may not yet see themselves as part of the Museum community. They connected with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, which for 30 years has led Penn’s efforts to work collaboratively with the West Philadelphia community.

At Sayre High School, the Netter Center’s long-running Agatson Urban Nutrition Initiative (AUNI) cultivates nutrition education, food access and sovereignty, and physical fitness by involving students in a community garden. With this initiative in mind, and with a new exhibition on the horizon at the Penn Museum—Ancient Food and Flavor, which explores culinary and agricultural traditions of ancient and modern civilizations—the idea for the “Your Food Story” program began to blossom.

But food was just the beginning. Brehm, who developed the Museum portion of the program curriculum, wanted to create an immersive experience in museum work—including developing a pop-up exhibition based on the students’ own photography and navigating all the steps that lead to that culminating product.

“We want to make sure that students feel like they’re part of something real and authentic,” Brehm says. “Contributing their voice to something that’s happening in the museum is an important component and thread for the program.”

To support the program, the Museum applied for—and received—a Community Partnerships Grant from the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, which provides strategic support to artists, faculty, cultural centers, students, and other arts advocates at Penn. The Sachs Program is supported by an endowed gift from Keith L., W’67, and Katherine, CW’69, Sachs; just this year, it awarded $265,000 in funding to 45 ambitious and creative projects across the arts and humanities.

The Sachs Program grant really made the differ­ence. It allowed us to have the full number of students, to have a full-time teaching artist who really talked them through photography, to really build out a nice exhibit, and to provide them with camera equipment and any other supplies they needed throughout the summer. The students had a true, well-rounded experience. And that was always the goal.”Tia Jackson-Truitt, SW’03, Chief Diversity Officer, Penn Museum

Additionally, each student received the title of “Museum Specialist” and earned a stipend of more than $1,000 for their work through the six-week pilot program, thanks in part to additional support from the Philadelphia Youth Network. “Because they’re producing an exhibition, I really want them to feel like they are taking on a role that they could see themselves in the future,” says Brehm.

On July 26, the students offered an evening of public pop-up tours of the Ancient Food and Flavor exhibition. The gallery buzzed with activity as each student shared their own “food story,” focusing on a specific ingredient and speaking with visitors about how that ingredient played a role in their own lives and relationships.

“Teens don’t realize how much people want to hear from them,” says Brehm. “And by the end of it, they’re like, ‘Wow, I had no idea that people would want to hear my story.’ Students really feel validated because people are really interested in what they have to say.”

It’s nice that I can do some­thing that’s not only educa­tional, but constructive—and with friends. The community we’ve built, we’re like a little family. And not only has this given me good networks and people to connect with, but also, I feel like this is valuable experience that I can use in the future.”Tyshawn Love, Museum Specialist, “Your Food Story” Program

The pop-up exhibition of the students’ photography opened at the Museum on August 12. Its next stop will be Sayre High School itself, where plans are being developed to put the students’ photos on display for the school community.

Energized by the successful pilot season, Museum staff are seeking support that would allow the program to expand in subsequent years.

“This museum is full of so many rich stories, told and untold, that the program could run forever in so many different iterations,” says Jackson-Truitt. “I think we can do this for many years to come. It’s a really big impact for a small price tag.”

To support to the Penn Museum and programs like “Your Food Story,” please contact Jon Heisler, Assistant Director of Individual Gifts, or consider a contribution to our Annual Fund.

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