Alia Bringas Brand

A driving interest in my studies has always been systems of all kinds, and how creativity and innovation can influence the way these systems evolve. Growing up in Vermont, I was always around nature, local and organic food, and a lot of people who cared about general wellbeing. This influenced my academic and creative practices greatly, in cooking, art, and independent food studies. I began to realize how unique my own experience was after pursuing education all over the United States. I saw a great disparity between how Vermont, Michigan, California, Providence, and New York viewed general wellbeing, and what the local communities tended to value. This became endlessly fascinating to me, and after spending time making art about this, I focused my creativity on a new subject: direct studies of food. This new interest brought me to New York City to study the culinary arts and work with private clients designing wholesome and well balanced menus. While this experience is extremely valuable, it is not my final step. I want to create and study political and social systems as they relate to food consumption and learn how to make self care in every way more accessible and prioritized to a wider population; health should not be accessible to just those who have the monetary or educational resources to afford it.