Wanted: A Divide in Food Security
CANstruction Dallas is an annual design and build event of giant canned food structures benefitting the North Texas Food Bank, and something that JHP looks forward to participating in every year. This year’s theme was “Saddle Up & Lasso Hunger”, and we couldn’t be more proud of our canstructure. The builds are on exhibit at NorthPark September 14th – October 6th.
Our canstructure is comprised of two key components: the map and the wanted poster. The map, serving as the horizontal element, depicts Dallas County and highlights the stark divide between North and South Dallas. North Dallas is depicted as food-secure, with easy access to nutritional food, while South Dallas is shown as food-insecure, with limited access to affordable and healthful food. Drawing on data from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, the map symbolizes this division, with the food desert areas illustrated in sandy and beige tones and the food-secure areas as a vibrant oasis in blue and green. The vertical element, a wanted poster positioned by the desert, features a can made of cans as a symbol of food, underscoring the lack of access to healthy food and the need for nutritional education in many Dallas communities.
Together, our team wrangled up a clean and sharp build, packed with layers of meaning that stood tall like a proud ol’ frontier outpost.
(and clearly we had fun playing with the theme…)
