Community Supported {Art, Cocoa}
My, what a difference a week makes… For, this past Wednesday, August 12, 2009, after having wrapped them with foil, sheathing them with a paper band and labeling each bar by hand—I took my chocolate to the market. Our local Caffe Paradiso, that is, where I arranged a cardboard box with a bag of sample squares then stocked it with three small and six large bars. Truthfully, two small bars, since I had sold one to a very awesome gentlewoman waiting outside with me for the coffee house to open. The day previous to this, I had already made my first sales to friends and fellow grad students around the building…but Wednesday was a milestone achieved by taking what I consider on the path towards finished, polished bars, with taste, texture and packaging that I am proud of, and selling them on the ‘open market’ to folks who have no vested personal interest in me. In fact I satisfied a personal life goal of mine to make and sell some useful, functional product. How empowering chocolate has been in the past week!
Muralists on the Prowl at the Media, Independent
Another apex of the previous seven days was a fantastic and philosophical community art project. Chris Hampson has been preparing a medium-size concrete wall located on the back side of the Independent Media Center for a collaborative mural painting party/project. The wall was fluidly changing before finally settling down with a black background and about sixty square white ‘canvases’ arranged throughout its length. Last Friday it was a canvas—a group of citizens descended Saturday evening, with beats, buckets and brushes… naturally, I brought samples of fruity batch #2… we painted the wall frenetically, in some manners fragmented and individual, but at the same time fundamentally social, collaborative and altogether beautiful. Yesterday a friend and I walked back over to the IMC and took a sequence of pictures that I tried to stitch together into a composite photo of the completed mural. It’s not a perfect representation, especially with a car inconveniently in my line of sight, but the purpose is just to give you a taste, hopefully you will view the mural in person.
Heartbreaking Collaborations of Staggering Genius
Layer upon layer, this week kept stacking excitement and community interaction. Returning to Paradiso Wednesday night to close out my box of chocolate, I found that all but two large bars had sold (I think people really prefer the size of the smaller bars…). I was extremely pleased with my success, being an unknown chocolate maker and inspiring people to take a chance, however, what could I do with the two that remained? I decided to give one to the marvelous people who work behind the cafe counter, and seeing my artistic friend Fred sitting outside the door, I offered him a trade. Asking Fred whether he had any pieces of art to exchange for my last squares of Panamanian chocolate, he responded that he had the perfect drawing to barter. Thus the following day I received one sixth of a larger drawing of his, ’space/time progressions’, which you see pictured to the top-right of this post—I clearly got the better end of this deal. It is also worth pointing out that this satisfies another personal goal of mine—to barter for an item with payment other than currency.
In a last triumph of Champaign-Urbana community, I later checked my email to find that one fellow who had picked up a Paradiso bar sent me a message about the chocolate he was eating! I was astounded at the feeling of closeness and directness my market experience engendered and I took some time to revel in the fudgy bite of humanity:
Very nice. I think its grain is a little coarser than I get in Lindt or Vosges or other big commercial makers, which makes for a slightly fudgier bite — I guess this is a product both of the grinding and the sugar? The beans are great, very bright and cherry-y.
I’m really glad I picked it up, and I look forward to trying more!
Most certainly I look forward to providing the populace with more chocolate. Currently I am waiting for my second shipment of beans to come in, this time 35lbs! Hopefully by the end of next week we can do this again.
August 15th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Daniel, I have followed along in this adventure and very much appreciate that you have chosen to share your journey with us. During my woodworking career I went through this discovery process as my work was appreciated for the first time, sometimes purchased and/or bartered for. Lots of nice people interactions and welcome feedback on my work. Your artisian work, I’m sure, adds an excellent and probably needed balance to your academic work. Thanks again.
August 15th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Wow, thanks, Bruce, I really appreciate the comment! I didn’t know you were a woodworker, definitely hope to see you around town sometime soon.