Special Limited Engagement Exhibition
The Birth of Coffee is a special limited engagement exhibition now open on Level 3.
The internationally travelling photographic exhibition offers an understanding of the many people, places and processes involved in bringing coffee to our hands .a simple cup of coffee: millions of people greet the morning, take a break, or end a meal with this dark brew. In these brief moments, coffee's rich flavor and deep aroma are simple pleasures unquestioningly accepted, although few of us ever consider the origins of this evermore popular beverage.
Photographer, Daniel Lorenzetti and author, Linda Rice Lorenzetti traveled a quarter of a million miles to five continents and eight countries documenting and recording the worlds coffee cultures. They followed the coffee cycle from a single seed at planting, to harvest, processing, shipping and the final cup.
There are a lot of books about coffee. So, you might ask, after all this, what motivated us to choose coffee as a subject in light of all the potential difficulties and discomfort. Part of the answer is actually quite simple. When we first considered the subject of coffee for a photographic essay, and began to research the many books on the subject, it struck us that something was noticeably missing from all of them. There are volumes written on the history of coffee, the cultivation of coffee, and of coffee as a beverage most filled with colorful pages and sumptuous images of tantalizing coffee concoctions, contemporary and old-world coffee houses and coffee paraphernalia of intriguing design and function. The pages of these books overflow with coffee recipes, facts, opinions and trivia. But, it seemed to us, the thing oddly missing was the people who pick, plant and produce coffee. Aside from the occasional smiling face of Juan Valdez staring at us from the pages our favorite magazine, what do we know of the millions of people around the world whose lives are dedicated to growing and producing the world's second-largest traded commodity? These are the people for whom coffee is not merely a beverage but, more importantly, a livelihood. Are they as passionate about coffee as the people who drink it? What is their relationship with this intriguing bean that has traveled around the world? -Linda Rice Lorenzetti, "The Birth of Coffee"
Exhibition Experience is Free of Charge
October 2, 2012 - January 5, 2013