There’s more to Midwestern and Southern cuisine than casseroles. Taking aesthetic cues from rural interior decoration, this installation and performance piece celebrates the power of receptivity. The artist has tasked a set number of guests from the Midwest and South with bringing a dish that reminds them of home.

On April 3 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., the invitees will share a meal at the artist’s dining table, transplanted into Brookings Quadrangle and set with a quilted tablecloth. The work allows participants to learn about each other while pushing back on negative stereotypes about the surrounding region. Place Setting refuses alienation by encouraging earnestness and generosity, both for participants and passers-by. Viewers are welcome to witness the lunch unfold and take an accompanying zine.

About the artist:

Madison Brown (they/them), class of 2025, is majoring in Studio Art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts with a second major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. For the Atkin Residency, Madison has explored the history of LGBTQ+ organizing in St. Louis through printmaking and banner making. Read their full bio.

About the Atkin Residency in the Art of Democracy:

Drawing on the rich tradition of the arts as a catalyst for social change, the Atkin Residency in the Art of Democracy supports undergraduate student artists to investigate the paradoxes, evolutions, histories, stories, and possibilities of U.S. democracy. Open to creators of all kinds, this competitive yearlong residency provides a platform for artists to deepen their practice, gain visibility, and foster public discourse. Learn more.