Student art competition winners celebrate UK’s local food system
A new, mobile art installation spotlighting the University of Kentucky’s local and sustainable food systems will be on display on campus starting this fall. The student art competition, sponsored by UK Recycling, The Food Connection and UK Dining, aims to highlight student art and educate the campus community on UK’s efforts to source food locally, support agricultural industries and turn food waste into compost.
The installation will feature the first-place design by Archana Krishnathas, a sophomore biology major from the College of Arts and Sciences. The art competition also recognized the second and third place awardees: Libby Ashford, a junior civil engineering major from the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, and Ashleigh Laverack, a senior art studio major from the College of Fine Arts.
Krishnathas, who is also a student in Lewis Honors College, said she is excited to bring her art to campus. The commissioned piece will be created during the fall semester and ready to present at a debut event later in the semester.
Her concept centers on the people who make the university’s food system work, featuring them as focal points as food moves through the cycle.
“I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, where artists produce a specific art style representing the diverse people living there,” Krishnathas said. “As I started exploring our campus food system, I learned about the involvement of food servers, composters and many other silent agents who are a huge part of the process. I wanted to combine both my heritage and my university to make art that represents the campus community’s place within the system.”
She said the design also highlights UK’s role in the food lifecycle — from dining to waste diversion and composting.
“Food waste is something we don’t think about often enough,” Krishnathas said. “People should be more educated about the impact that recycling food waste has, and the innovation created from new recycling and composting methods. I hope my piece can help show how the university contributes.”
Ashford, also a Lewis Honors College student, and Laverack said their designs underscore the importance of campuswide awareness and the many stakeholders involved in the university’s circular food efforts.
“The university’s food waste and circularity network is a wonderful way to divert materials from landfills and return valuable nutrients back to the earth,” Laverack said. “My piece reflects circularity and connectivity by illustrating the food waste process as an ongoing cycle without a defined starting or ending point.”
The competition, made possible by The Food Connection’s Student Opportunity Grant, will result in a mobile art installation displayed in high-traffic areas and at campus events. The artwork’s message mirrors the campuswide partnerships that support the university’s circular food efforts.
The art installation project project is a partnership between UK Recycling, The Food Connection, UK Dining, the UK Sign Shop and Professor Lee Ann Paynter from UK’s School of Arts & Visual Studies.
“Interdisciplinary projects like this showcase how sustainability is interwoven in all parts of life,” said Ryan Lark, UK zero-waste specialist.
The art competition and ensuing installation, designed and led by Holly Cason, a UK Recycling intern and environmental and sustainability studies and natural resources and environmental science senior, will bring a vibrant new art piece inspiring community and connection on campus.
“No matter if students are aware of it, they are part of this food system,” Cason said. “We want this art installation to make students feel represented, provide an opportunity to learn about sustainability on campus, and highlight the irreplaceable role of local farmers and UK workers in our food system.”