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CAMBRIDGE — For its fall show, Main Street Gallery in Cambridge will present “Cooking Up Some Art”, a collaborative show of 11 guest artists who are friends and have been members of a cooking group for more than 30 years.
The artists work in a variety of media that include painting, book art, photography, digital art, printmaking, collage, sculpture and fiber art and while their subjects vary widely, at least one creates oil paintings of food. The guests will show alongside the gallery’s eight member artists.
The group formed in the D.C. area when its founder, the late Michael B. Platt, a renowned artist and art professor at Howard University and Northern Virginia Community College, suggested to a few of his artist friends and art students that they all get together and cook. In those days, a cooking event took an entire day as the group gathered early to shop at area markets, groceries and specialty stores and then went to one or the other’s homes and spent the rest of the day cooking and enjoying their feast.
The group sometimes travelled as well to members’ summer houses in the Shenandoah Valley and on the Choptank River where swimming, kayaking, fishing and sailing were also on the menu. In those early days there was a rule, set forth by Platt, that they cook only food they’d never had before.
This resulted in some dinners with wild game, game fish and exotic side dishes. While the group no longer holds steadfastly to that rule, their dinners are reportedly still very creative. For their last gathering, they created dishes from their individual travels. The food sparked lively dinner conversations about places they had visited, the art scene in D.C. and memories about past dinners.
“There is always lots of food and lots of laughter at our dinners” says member artist Randi Trinka. “Over the past 30-plus years, we’ve had so many crazy, memorable times together, and it’s always great fun to reminisce about them. And of course, we always remember Mike Platt, the creative guy who got us all together.”
Cooking Group artists who are exhibiting at MSG are Washington D.C. artists Carol Beane, Barbara Frank, Michael Platt, Lynn Sylvester, Ernestine Martin Wyatt and Donald Wyatt, Cambridge artist Theresa Knight McFadden, Takoma Park artist Stephanie Sove Ney, Laurel artists Debra Mathews Tyler and Dwight Tyler and Springfield Va. artist Randi Trinka.
“Cooking Up Some Art” will open on Sept. 6 and run through Oct. 27. There will be two artist receptions at the gallery on Second Saturdays, Sept. 14 and Oct. 12 from 5-8 p.m.
The receptions are free and open to the public and all are welcome. Light refreshments will be served. There will also be a brief artist talk at the Sept. 14 reception.
Main Street Gallery is located at 518 Poplar St. in Cambridge and is part of the Arts and Entertainment District. Gallery hours are Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The gallery requests that children under 18 be accompanied by an adult.
The gallery is currently reviewing work from prospective members and guest artists. Contact MSG through its website at mainstgallery.net or by phoning 410-330-4659 if interested.