American Table \;is a sweepin
g history of food and culture that summons everyone to the table for a fre
sh look at some of the people\, ingredients\, events\, and movements that
have shaped how and what we eat.
Johnson\, curator and project
director of the American Food History Project\, will discuss several stor
ies featured in the volume\, with an emphasis on those that intersect most
directly with the Smithsonian&rsquo\;s research\, collecting\, and progra
mming around food history.
During this event\, Johnson will eng
age viewers in discovering the connections between food and American histo
ry: \;
After this e
nlightening\, enriching\, and entertaining webinar\, you can cook your way
through the recipes that are featured in the volume that reflect American
history and culture. Hungry for more? Register now! \;
About the Speaker
: \;
Paula Johnson \;is a Curator in the Divis
ion of Work and Industry at the \;Smithsonian&rsquo\;s National Museum of American History and is
responsible for strengthening and maintaining the food history and marine
resources collections. She is also the Project Director for the Smithsonia
n's multi-faceted American Food History Project and director and co-curato
r for the exhibition\, \;FOOD: Transforming the American Table\,
which opened in 2012\; a refresh of the exhibition was completed in 2019.
As one of the curators who collected Julia Child&rsquo\;s home kitchen in
2001\, she was also on the team that developed the exhibition \;Bon
Appetit! Julia Child&rsquo\;s Kitchen at the Smithsonian\, on vi
ew from 2002 to 2012. Over more than three decades at the Smithsonian\, Jo
hnson has collected a wide range of artifacts and archives reflecting the
work and experiences of diverse Americans and communities.
John
son has published books and articles on the Chesapeake Bay\, maritime comm
unities\, and material culture\, and has lectured widely on these and topi
cs related to American food and wine history\, field research\, oral histo
ry recording\, and community-based documentation. She is an inaugural memb
er of the editorial collective for \;Gastronomica: The Journal for
Food History \;and received the 2020 Smithsonian Distinguished S
cholar in the Humanities Award. Johnson is working on a book about Julia C
hild&rsquo\;s home kitchen for publication in Fall 2024.
Live Virtual Author Talks \;- \;
This new series through Library Speakers Consortium offers live o
nline talks by bestselling authors of books in a variety of genres. Partic
ipants receive a link to the program when they register. Please see https://libraryc.org/gailborden&nb
sp\;to register and also view recorded videos of past speakers.