THE KITCHEN TABLE is a reprise of the series of conversations organized by Eugenia P. Butler in 1993 at the ART/LA art fair.

Situated within the College Art Association Conference at the same LA Convention Center that was the site for the ’93 talks, we will bring together a group of articulate cultural thinkers of our time—primarily artists—seating them around a table, perhaps the oldest cultural institution.

To create the deepest discourse possible about the powerful impact of art on society. Their focus will be to better understand our present, and, by using the visionary tools of the artist, to begin to visualize our future.

Participants:
Lita Albuquerque
Bob Bates
Miles Coolidge
Dana Duff
Charles Gaines
Ashley Hunt
Mark Lee
Marcos Lutyens
Chon Noriega
Ana Prvacki
Marie Shurkus
Barbara T. Smith
Cindy Smith
John Tain
Kerry Tribe
Faith Wilding

Hosts:
Karen Dunbar, Leila Hamidi, Shana Lutker, and Corazon del Sol

Most integral to this event will be the invited guests. The participants will be drawn from the local and the international community, having been carefully chosen for their qualities as human beings and artists. They are characterized as deep and catalytic thinkers who also have the ability to enter and move into a dialogue. They will be fed and housed within the community—in effect serving as bio-implants into Los Angeles. As the city itself sits poised for change, aware of its shadow while gazing at the horizon, THE KITCHEN TABLE examines the power of art to affect culture, using discourse as a social tool.

During the conference, inside a secret room—a metaphor for the soul of a society—there will be three ‘meals.’ The 40 x 11 foot space will reflect the essence of a kitchen, setting up with delicious food and drink, the ideal atmosphere to engage in such a dialogue. Because each meal involves different guests, with each guest reflecting a different background, experience, and ideology, THE KITCHEN TABLE, like life, will be collaborative and its outcome mysterious.

This ‘meeting of the minds’ will be enlightening and entertaining. A video documentary will be made of the event. Video monitors will be placed within the Convention Center to broadcast the dialogues and they will be live streamed on the internet.

More information on the original Kitchen Table talks: http://eugeniapbutler.com/
Read excerpts from the Talks in X-TRA

Become a part of the Kitchen Table and email us your questions to editors@x-traonline.org with “Kitchen Table Question” in the subject line.

Your questions will be credited and included in the documentation of the Kitchen Table.