Broccoli rabe, kale, grapes, lemons, artichokes—these foods represent just a few of the thousands of images posted every day by farm workers in California alone. Day in and day out, regardless of weather, farm workers harvest crops to keep grocery store shelves stocked and farmers’ markets bustling. The very clear hashtag above reminds us that the produce that graces tables throughout the United States is the product of physical labor. Behind each bite of food is a person—a fact too easily ignored. Multimedia artist Victor Cartagena did not ignore it. He was moved by the sheer number of workers who labor daily to feed the country but go unrecognized within their own community.
Commissioned by the San José Museum of Art to create a new work, Cartagena researched the history and contemporary story of farm workers in Salinas, California.
