Some of the ideas you’ve shared on MSI have been about offering coffee classes to learn more about coffee. For those of you in the Seattle area I thought you might be interested in this exhibit at the Burke Museum that is opening this weekend. After the exhibit ends at the Burke it will travel around the country, so hopefully more of the MSI community can be a part of this coffee experience.
Coffee: The World in Your Cup presents the story of one of the world's most widely traded commodities and how it has affected cultures, economies, and environments across the globe. Coffee explores the environmental and social impacts of the coffee industry and recommends ways for consumers to make socially and environmentally responsible coffee purchases at the grocery store or in a coffee shop. Learn about the impacts of caffeine, discover coffee's early controversial reputation as a "revolutionary drink," and consider the culture that surrounds coffee in the twenty-first century. Photos, maps, text, selected artifacts, audiovisual presentations, and hands-on demonstrations help visitors explore the fascinating world behind the coffee we drink.
Coffee: The World in Your Cup was organized by the Burke Museum in collaboration with a panel of advisors from the University of Washington, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Seattle University, Seattle Audubon, and the Specialty Coffee Industry. Major support for the exhibition has been provided by The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Starbucks Coffee Company, and the University of Washington, with additional support from the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Coffee will be on display at the Burke Museum from January 24 to June 7, 2009. Planning a trip to the Burke? See hours and visitor information.
"Coffee connects us all," says Burke exhibit coordinator Ruth Pelz. "Most consumers don't think about the people and places that bring coffee from the field to the roast to the cup, but this exhibit offers visitors a chance to be more socially and environmentally aware of what they drink. Coffee really has the power to remind us of our place in the world."
Highlights of Coffee: The World in Your Cup include:
1. Color photographs of farms from South America to Africa to the Pacific Islands that tell the global story of coffee cultivation and trade
2. Live coffee plants
3. In-gallery "Café" setting for weekend coffee tastings and demonstrations
4. Four short videos featuring different aspects of the coffee industry, including the local coffee scene
5. Wall-to-wall display of coffee bags from dozens of Northwest coffee roasters
For a limited time, get 2-for-1 admission to see Coffee: The World in Your Cup!
Present your registered Starbucks Card at the Burke Museum to receive one free admission of equal or lesser value with one paid admission ($9.50). Two tickets for the price of one! Offer good Jan. 24 –June 7, 2009.
Coffee cherries being loaded onto a truck (Herbazu, Costa Rica)
Photo by D. Major Cohen