Recipe Exchange at Manheim Gardens

In collaboration with Rebecca Blocksome, Kirsten Taylor, and Sean Whalen

Whether written down or passed on through oral traditions, recipes have always played a vital role in shaping the relationship between the land and the people who inhabit it. Adapted and altered with each iteration, recipes accumulate more than just ingredients—they begin to inherit the stories, memories, and history of each hand they pass through.

Traditionally, recipes have mainly focused on food, however, by definition, recipes encompass anything that has “a set of instructions for making something from various ingredients.” This interpretation expands the possibilities of what would be categorized as a “recipe,” recontextualizing it as a procedural tool. Similar to chefs, artists have also employed recipes as a tool to build upon one another’s experimentations. From starting an indigo vat to constructing a piece of furniture, recipes have been a pivotal tool for artists to share techniques and expand upon them.

The Recipe Exchange at Manheim Garden is an extension of the Material World exhibition hosted at the Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute in fall 2024. The exchange forefronts the importance of sharing information and seeks to investigate how recipes have been employed as a tool for passing on knowledge between generations within communities. The collected recipes range from baking the perfect cookie to learning how to utilize cobb for building natural structures.