"The history is complicated," Perdomo Álvarez said. "Some people are indigenous to this land. Some people have a history of several generations living here, but they immigrated from elsewhere. Some, like myself, migrated here a few years ago."

Regardless of museum visitors' relationship to the land, Perdomo Álvarez hopes they walk away "understanding that there’s that diversity of connections, but ultimately we’re all responsible (for) the land, and the land is what feeds us."

"We should be educated on those topics and also have a respect for the land, even if the experiences are different," Perdomo Álvarez said.

The exhibit is split into sections on farmworkers and existing food knowledge before leading into labor rights and overconsumption, and then centering Michigan.

As part of the museum’s research process for the exhibit, workers assigned to the project visited local farms in 2023 to learn more about farmworker communities.  

The result of those conversations is shown throughout the collection. 

One of the first paintings showcased in the exhibition is "Michigan Pasture with Cows," painted by German immigrant Mathias Joseph Alten in 1914. A plaque next to it confronts the serenity of the painting, teasing the idea that farm work is relaxing and the "growing nostalgia for past lifestyles and landscapes." That detail was inspired by the researchers' conversations with farmworkers.  

"I kind of poke fun a little bit because whenever I talk to farmers, farmworkers, they would complain about the cattle," Perdomo Álvarez said. "Many had gotten rid of the cattle from their farm because it was just so difficult to maintain, especially for dairy."

The table centerpiece of the exhibit was put together by Fankhänel, an architecture historian who specializes in exhibition design. The table is a mix between a farmhouse table and an artist’s design table. On top is a collection of barns from the MSU Museum’s collection, selected with the intention to showcase the "different purposes" a barn can have.

"Some of them are for storage, some of them are for hay feeding, some are more multipurpose," Perdomo Álvarez said.

Multiple pieces also come from Turkish artists Cansu Curgen and Avşar Gürpınar, part of the Ambiguous Standards Institute. The institute seeks to draw attention to single-use items when it comes to food and other things deemed necessary, like egg cups or outlets designated by country. 

"The common point in each (piece) is that there are either ambiguous or vague, unclear standards," Gürpınar said. "In the case of ambiguous standards of food, we are looking at bird eggs and we look at how a specific egg is classified as being edible or not. What are the standards?"

This idea of standards is prominent throughout the museum’s exhibit, determining what is "greed versus need," as Perdomo Álvarez puts it. 

The end of the exhibition is marked by another table, this time for dining. Surrounding it is a series of photographs that depict many of the farms that researchers visited early on in the curatorial process. The table itself lists different resources in the MSU and Greater Lansing area to learn more about food justice and consumption. 

The museum is also hosting panels to help educate the local community throughout its duration. The list of events can be viewed here. 

The exhibit will remain open until July 27.