Over 100 people showed up to the Listen to the Land: Season 2 Multimedia Gallery Exhibit at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture (GMA).
The exhibit showcased the video projects that ABAC students Anfernee McDonald, Hunter Holton, Abisai Vazquez, Anthony Baisden, and Jalen Edmondson produced during their internship. Curator Polly Huff and Dr. Thomas Grant were supervisors for the project.
This season’s purpose was to dive into the food and culture surrounding the local area, focusing on a documentary style of video production rather than a podcast.
Anfernee Mcdonald, a returning member of the awarding-winning season from 2023, said, “Moving from a podcast to a documentary helped me understand both forms of media.”
Contributors Hayden Norman, Kylie Burrell, Brandon Trawick, Riley Wilen, and Makinley Clark were unable to intern but nonetheless helped make this showcase possible.
The art of telling the story is its own process, but balancing that with the story of each of the featured cooks was important during this process.
McDonald said, “I wanted the chefs to be able to give their own stories themselves without much interference.”
Anthony Baisden, ABAC student and member of Listen to the Land, said, “What really helped me out through the process was the team since each one had more experience in something different than me. I just tried to put all their ideas and tips into something.”
The premiere was held on Sept. 7 at 6:30 pm inside the GMA lobby. Dan Miller and the ABAC Dining hall provided food for the exhibit. Each mini dish represents the food’s culture displayed in the documentary. Provided food items included corn nuggets, sweet potato pone, and jerk chicken bites. Guests also toured the gallery, set up by curator Polly Huff, before the display.
Hunter Holton introduced the guest and the cast of Listen to the Land, leading into the premiere of the documentary.
ABAC professor of psychology and sociology Suzanne Smith said, “I really liked it. It’s interesting that we have all these cultures surrounding us.”
After the premiere, the ABAC students engaged with the audience in a brief question-and-answer session. The chefs featured in the documentary then came to their section of the gallery to answer questions about their dishes. In each section, attendees could read a brief story on each of the cooks on an interactive panel.
The gallery included an ArcGIS story map which featured the cultures’ respective locations. Each section held a physical copy of the recipe of each dish. Lastly, the gallery included a TikTok video of all the cultures shown in the documentary.
Dr. Thomas Grant, a supervisor of the project, said, “I think the best part was letting go and watching the students do it all. In the past, I’ve often had a larger role in creating the project. This time, the students did it all.”
The Listen to the Land exhibit will be open Sept. 7- Dec. 13 at the GMA. The documentary will be posted on watch.abac.edu.