Mandala Pancakes
and other Gifts of Life
Food has always been an important aspect of our art process, especially the symbolic act of offering nourishment to others. So when I was caring for my grandmother at the close of her life, I started serving her simple, colorful plates of food, arranged into eye-catching mandalas to brighten her day. This was a way to relieve her boredom at being bedridden, interest her in eating and show my love for her, and it was a much-needed way for me to be creative while being a full-time caregiver. In her more vibrant years, Grandma Mary nourished us in the most simple and essential ways, and even at the close of her life, when all she had left to give was her smile, she gave it freely to everyone who came near. It is in this spirit that we create mandala pancakes, that their beauty and nourishment might make visible the treasure that is every meal we share. -- Kim Garrison, United Catalysts
text description from the Mandala Pancake Bar performance, part of Mothers, Eggshells and the People Who Birth Us, May 2018
View One Hundred Mandalas, part of the Mandala Pancakes performance.
