Horsham Art Workshop, Exhibit Inspires Healthy Eating - By Playing With Food

By NAILA FRANCIS

HORSHAM, PA -- It’s generally frowned upon when children play with their food. But for Bill and Claire Wurtzel, that’s exactly the kind of fun that inspires healthy eating habits.

For years, the New York City-based husband and wife duo — Bill’s a jazz guitarist and Claire is a longtime special needs educator — have been sharing their tips for more healthful eating with kids, parents and teachers via their clever and comical plate art.

And on May 20 and 21, they’ll be at the Scatter Joy Center for the Arts in Horsham for “Food, Fun, Photography,” a gallery exhibit showcasing some of their most imaginative creations, as well as a companion workshop sure to have even the pickiest of eaters clamoring for their healthy breakfast treats. Both events are free to the public.

Bill, director of the Jazz Foundation of America and a member of the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band, will also perform during the opening night reception that Friday.

“Food, Fun, Photography” will coincide with a series of presentations to the Hatboro-Horsham School District, beginning with an assembly at Hallowell Elementary School on May 19, and followed by two interactive demos for the Family and Consumer Science classes at Keith Valley Middle School on May 20.

“Having Bill and Claire here at our art center, with their imaginative approach to healthy eating, is a wonderful opportunity for our community. Blending the fun and humor of their food art with a serious message concerning health and nutrition is a perfect way to make an important point for children and their parents,” says Bill Lessa, executive director of SJCA. “There is an increased need to focus on diet and fitness for our nation’s kids. Every meaningful contribution we can make to help the right messages come through is time and energy well spent

Beyond the relevancy of their message, the Wurtzels’ appearance is timely for another reason: their second book, “Funny Food Made Easy: Creative, Fun & Healthy Breakfasts, Lunches & Snacks,” is out this month on Welcome Books. A sequel to “Funny Food: 365 Fun, Healthy, Silly, Creative Breakfasts” — noted as “A Best Children’s Book of 2012” — it’s packed with more than 150 works of plate art, along with ingredient lists, step-by-step illustrations and tips for turning everyday foods such as eggs, oatmeal and bananas into art that truly nurtures.

“You’ll smile your way through 192 pages filled with amazing food art — a ridiculous yogurt elephant, a whacky apple lion, and a pita portrait that looks like your neighbor,” says Claire Wurtzel.

It was Claire who encouraged Bill to begin taking photos of his anthropomorphic portraits when he began making them for her, first as an expression of his love when they were married in 1961, and later to amuse their children and grandchildren. Bill’s nourishing art also supported Claire when she joined Weight Watchers.

The couple first brought his hobby-turned-art-form into schools, incorporating a social message, in 2012, alarmed by statistics on the growing rate of childhood obesity. (Research has shown that one in three American children and teens are overweight or obese, a percentage that has tripled since the 1970s, posing a range of health problems previously unseen in children, including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.)

Through their hands-on workshops, the Wurtzels’ banana giraffes, apple cars, papaya dancers and other fanciful creations entice kids to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy. Bill demonstrates how to make the “funny food,” sometimes with musical accompaniment, while Claire explains the benefits of each ingredient. The kids then make their own healthy creations.

“The workshops show that when kids make it, they eat it,” says Bill. “They love creating their own nutritious food fantasies.

The Scatter Joy Center for the Arts was founded in 2015 on the simple belief that art makes a difference. Through classes spanning a range of visual and performing arts, gallery exhibits, music performances, mentorship and philanthropic projects, SJCA supports the individual exploration of creativity while fostering community engagement. For more information, visit www.scatterjoyarts.org. For more on Bill and Claire Wurtzel, check out www.funnyfoodart.com and www.billwurtzel.com.

Images courtesy Scatter Joy and Bill & Claire Wurtzel.