Gretel's Oven Ready to Fire!

In 2009, MCC member Karen Schlichting received a Manitoba Arts Council craft grant for a project that involved building a functional (and highly decorative!) mobile wood-fired oven. The project is part of her on-going artistic exploration of Gretel, a fairtytale character who hopes to engage people on issues related to alienation, disconnection from our basic needs, food security, poverty etc. through the playful means of food. Karen has been baking delicious, artisanal bread for several years in a stationary wood-fired oven, and now her mobile over is ready to take to the road. The next few months will see her working on further developing the character of Gretel, outfitting her with new props, adding a mosaic exterior to the oven, and getting some baking under her belt.