Contributed by Sharon Butler / When the lockdown went into effect, Abby Lloyd wanted to curate an online project, but envisioned something more personal than a bunch of jpegs, so she put together a quirky cookbook with recipes by her artist friends. “I came across a school cookbook that I made in 1998,” she told me. “It was a beat-up, laminated collection of recipes submitted by classmates, made with 1990s-era software. The book had so much character that I wanted to recreate its awkward 8-bit charm. And I figured now is a good time to release a cookbook because everyone is actually cooking.” She put together Artists & Recipes, which features recipes like Chris Maggio’s “The Good Egg,” Jo Shane’s “Plague Soup,” and Gina Beaver’s instant, heart-stopping classic, “No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie.” Her ingredients include a tub of Cool Whip, a cup of peanut butter, a cup of powdered sugar, and cream cheese. Artists & Recipes reminds me of other homemade cookbooks, like the bohemian classic Moosewood Cookbook from the 1970s. For Lloyd, celebrating the 1990s aesthetic is comfort food to a community whose lives have been upended by Covid-19.
A complete version of Artists and Recipes, which is dedicated to Lloyd’s mom who passed away recently, can be viewed and downloaded at www.artistsandrecipes.com. The site also include links to various Covid-19 relief funds for artists and NYC restaurants. Participating artists include Chris Retsina, Joshua Abelow, Tisch Abelow, Ana Bial, Gina Beavers, Morgan Blair, Blair Blumberg, Allison Brainard, Michael Bussell, Jessica Butler, Jonny Campolo, Drake Carr, Kinzle Christman, Josh Cohen, Marcy Cruthirds, Alyssa Davis, Victoria Duffee, Caley Feeney, Moko Fukuyama, Bo Geddes, Robert Grand, Diego Groisman, KT Hickman, Philip Hinge, Janine Iversen, Hong Ji, Abby Lloyd, Steve Lloyd, Chris Maggio, Nate Milton, Mario Miron, Brigid Moore, Finoula O’Mahony, Ivy Pham, Charlie Roberts, Barbara Rose, Betty Roytburd, Jo Shane, Miles Shelton, Joe Speier, James Troxel, Michelle Uckotter, Hadley Vogel, and Robin Winters.
Note: Readers may recall that Abby Lloyd had a solo show at Freddy in the Catskills recently that included fabric sculptures of dolls alongside drawings her aunt made when she was a child. Lloyd will be participating in “The Essential Goods Show,” an online show at Fisher Parrish Gallery in June, 2020.
Related posts:
Abby Lloyd’s interview with her Aunt Nancy
Radical reorientation: Leaving New York
Quick study: The quiet city
