Wednesday Edition: Mark Menjivar

Hello collectors! It's Sara, subbing in for Jen, who is still battling what appears to be a very evil and persistent flu. It even kept her from attending last night's super fun shin-dig, our first-ever Hey, Hot Shot! Confab & Print Trade, which was a smashing success. Photographers and artists turned out in droves to meet, greet, share a couple of beers and trade artwork; it was truly a lovely evening over at White Rabbit. Thanks to everyone who could join us!

Today's photographer would have been most welcomed among the party crowd. He made several friends during his last visit to NYC and is certainly a great example of why we love HHS! so much. We first spotted Mark Menjivar's You Are What You Eat series when he entered the competition last winter. Mark was featured as a contender on the HHS! blog. And from then on, Jen and I were plotting and scheming to get Mark's work on 20x200. So, I am happy to present to you today—finally!—Midwife/Middle School Science Teacher | San Antonio, TX | 3-Person Household (including dog) | First week after deciding to eat locally grown vegetables. and Bar Tender | San Antonio, TX | 1-Person Household | Goes to sleep at 8AM and wakes up at 4PM daily.

The titles and the images, in a sense, speak for themselves. Mark has essentially outlined portraits of the owners of the featured refrigerators, examining the notion, that yes, we are what we eat. With the fast-growing Slow Food movement, the recent popularity of books like Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and the release of the film Food, Inc, what and how we eat has never received more scrutiny.

Mark was slightly ahead of the curve, beginning his project a little over three years ago. Since then, rightly so, he's received a lot of attention for the series. It was selected for CENTER's Director's Choice in the Project Competition, GOOD magazine featured the work on their site, sparking a lively dialogue in the comments, and right now, the series is on view at Ampersand Gallery in Portland, Oregon, through October 25th. If you're anywhere on the West Coast, I highly recommend that you scoot over to Stumptown and check out the show. You'll also be able to get your hot hands on a copy of the limited-edition food journal that Mark produced with Consumption Queen Kate Bingaman-Burt.

If you're really not anywhere near Portland and are feeling bummed that you missed last night's confab, it's not too late to get in on the action! The Hey, Hot Shot! 2009 Second Edition Competition is still open. We're accepting entries until October 23, 2009 at 8:00 p.m EST. Yes, that seems like a little ways away but it will be here before you know it. So, jump on it and enter your photos today. And we'll see you tomorrow with a bonus, bookish edition from another HHS! favorite. Till then!

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