Juan William Chávez
ARTIST, EDUCATOR, BEEKEEPER
Food Rights Bike, 2018
Repurposed bicycle and rickshaw, wood, canvas map
Despite Nashville’s economic growth, its residents, as in other booming cities, continue to have uneven access to nutritious and affordable foods. Juan William Chávez calls attention to food-access problems through his project, Food Rights Bike. The artist has repurposed a bicycle rickshaw that he inherited from his grandfather and transformed it into a mobile sculpture for food distribution and education. The rickshaw passenger seat has been replaced with a farm stand for growing and carrying fresh produce. With a built-in, pull-out table, the sculpture also functions as an urban-garden workstation, a platform for cooking demonstrations or art and gardening workshops, and an iconic information hub at community events. The back of the sculpture features a canvas map of Nashville, to aid conversations about where food is located and who can reach it.
Designed to be used by an organization invested in food justice, this summer the Food Rights Bike is on loan to the West Nashville Dream Center, where it will support and amplify the food supplementation programs. Surveys show that buying groceries can take three to five hours roundtrip for residents of this under-resourced neighborhood. The Center helps to alleviate these challenges through food rescue and distribution programs, a community garden, an animal farm, and other resources.
Update: The Food Rights Bike is on the move! West Nashville Dream Center had to relocate their services at the end of June 2018, following the end of a five-year lease that was no longer available to them. The Food Rights Bike has been moved to the interior food court at Nashville Farmers’ Market where it will be on view June 30–September 1.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
West Nashville Dream Center (4007 Delaware Ave., Nashville, TN 37209) is a dynamic ministry committed to protecting and empowering people who are living in distress in the community. The Center’s goal is to improve the safety and quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods by providing supplemental resources that meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs for neighbors of all ages.
The Nashville Farmers’ Market (900 Rosa Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37208) is a nationally recognized farmers’ market, international food hall, and garden center open seven days a week (8am–8pm) in the heart of the city.
