Threads Between Art, History and Food
When I was first approached by Edible Milwaukee about writing a story for their art issue, I asked myself, ‘Why would a food magazine produce an art issue?’ Then, I met Milwaukee artist, Rosy Petri, and after spending some time with her I began to visualize the multitude of connections between art and food.
Rosy works with a variety of artistic mediums, but her preferred focus is textile art. She constructs fabric portraiture using a quilting technique called “Raw edge applique." Rosy uses predominantly African and vintage fabrics, which she pieces together to create portraits of people like her son, her mentor—Milwaukee artist Della Wells, Aretha Franklin and countless subjects from Black history. In addition to her work as a full-time artist, Rosy is also an avid cook and brews her own beer.
This past February, Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel announced that Rosy Petri would serve as their 11th artist in residence: their first woman of color. In a press release, Rosy stated that as a woman of color, she believes that creating art is one of the few areas in her life where she can freely name, embrace and honor her own identity. The Pfister’s Artist-in-Residence program has celebrated the Milwaukee artist community since its debut in 2009. Famed Milwaukee artist, Reginald Baylor, was the Pfister’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence, and other talented artists have followed. Running from April 1st to March 31st each year, the program features a working studio and gallery located on the first floor of the hotel that allows the selected artist to create and share their work with the public. In addition to showcasing her art, Rosy will be leading tours of the Pfister’s Victorian art collection, interacting on a deeper level with the community and hotel guests.
I had the privilege of sitting down with Rosy to discuss her art style, her love of cooking and homebrewing and how they all affect each other. Because of the materials and the techniques she uses in her art, Rosy definitely sees how her art mimics her cooking. She utilizes a southern-style of quilting, which is more of a patchwork and tied-style of quilting as opposed to a full machine quilt, or a quilt with a structured pattern. Historically, African-Americans used discarded scraps for their quilts, which is very similar to how they prepared food: using what was available to them. “When you look at Black culture as a general thing,” Rosy says, “it’s really difficult to separate food from music, from outfits.”
Rosy loves to cook full Sunday meals of greens, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and some type of poultry for the people she cares for, but her mustard gravy is a staple on her table. She usually uses dijon mustard, but she uses that same ‘use what is on hand’ philosophy, so whatever is hiding in her pantry dictates her recipe. Rosy starts with either butter or lard and flour to make a roux. Then, she adds onions, garlic or even mushrooms if available. She rounds it out by adding homemade stock, but the key is the mustard. She says it is imperative not to add too much. The cooking process mellows the mustard out, showcasing hints of vinegar and a gentle bite.
In addition to her cooking, Rosy also brews her own beer. She got into making beer when someone she was dating left the country to go on a mission trip. As it turned out, he never came back, but he did leave behind a home-brewing kit for her, which kick-started her brewing hobby. She even uses the beer she brews in her famous gravy on a whim.
You may not get to experience her cooking, but you can definitely immerse yourself in her art. During her residency at the Pfister, Rosy plans to create a studio space that will highlight guests and other creators through portraiture and podcasts. She hopes to develop a collection of photograph and fabric portraits and more.
You can also check out more of Rosy Petri’s work on her website at https://www.thisisparadisehome.com
