Artist Statement

In creating this project, I wanted to address the idea of generosity on two levels; one by giving something away and two by bringing awareness to a societal problem. In thinking of generosity I immediately think about food and the issue of hunger.  Both, how making food can be a generous act as well as that people with food insecurities depend upon other people's generosity, come to mind.  I decided to bake cupcakes because they can easily be given away.  I baked a statistic about hunger issues into each cupcake and then handed out the cupcakes at Occupy Wall Street as well on the school campus.  I found both experiences to be very different.  The handing out of the cupcakes at Occupy Wall Street was the act of generosity because I felt that the people there needed the food more than the message.  On the other hand,  I felt that the message became more important than the actual food on the school campus.  Overall, my goal was to do a generous act while highlighting how significant the hunger problems are in the United States.  

Occupy Wall Street Pictures

Campus Cupcakes

Handing out cupcakes on campus was a much different experience than at Occupy Wall street.  I felt mobbed on campus.  I could barely get down three stairs before all of my cupcakes were gone.  Like Occupy Wall street I felt a warm reception to free food (especially cupcakes), but I felt that this audience may have a different reaction to the message.  

Occupy Wall Street

My experience handing out cupcakes at Occupy Wall Street was very rewarding.  It provided a great venue and audience.  Since it was my first run at this project I wanted to pick a place that I felt the message would be received well.  With that being said I think it may be almost too safe of a place, meaning most of the people participating in Occupy Wall Street have thought about the issue of hunger.  I did feel that I was helping out the cause even with the small gesture of a cupcake.  

Generosity Project.

I am having some minor difficulties with my project.  I want to create the cupcake liners to have addresses of food bank drop off centers, but I am having difficulties printing on parchment paper.  I have hand written a lot of them.  Also, I had plans to go in the city and do my first round of handing out cupcakes on Thursday, but the weather was awful.  I am going to try and do it this Sunday.