“Local” Food, Migrant Labour: Residency Reflections

The Creative Food Research Collaboratory (CFRC) germinates collaborations at the intersection of art and food studies, exploring how the arts can imagine—and therefore help to achieve—food security, food sovereignty, and food justice in Canada. Our work includes academic research, public events, teaching and workshops, as well as fundraising for community food initiatives. Initiated in 2022, the collective is comprised of Amanda White, Zoë Heyn Jones, Anahí Gonzalez, and Katie Lawson. 

Anahí González is a Mexican photographer and artist based in London, Ontario. Through photography, installation, and participatory practices, she explores migration, labour, identity, and everyday systems of exchange, with a focus on Mexican labour for/within Canada. She holds a Doctorate in Art and Visual Culture from Western University, with previous studies in Canada, Mexico, and Spain. In 2021, she received Mexico’s Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte grant, Jóvenes Creadores program. Her work has been exhibited and screened across Canada, Mexico, the United States, Norway, Spain, and France.

Katie Lawson is a curator and writer based in Toronto. She is currently a SSHRC-funded PhD candidate at Western University, where she works with the Centre for Sustainable Curating. She has curated exhibitions for a wide range of institutions, including the Toronto Biennial of Art, regional galleries, municipalities, and artist-run-centres in Canada. She contributes to a range of print and online publications. She has recently written for Esse, BlackFlash, Momus, and CBC Arts.