By Danielle Gallegos
For The Signal
An art exhibit now on display at Santa Clarita City Hall includes a family effort that brought together a love of food and the arts.
The idea was to inspire people to share what brings them comfort during these trying pandemic times, which is why the exhibit was titled “Creature Comforts,” according to Sydney Adams, art assistant for the city of Santa Clarita.
The Zumsteg family — Mia and her husband, David, and their twin daughters, Dakota and Madison — each submitted a photo to City Hall of their comfort foods, with all four chosen for display in the first-floor gallery.
Mia Zumsteg was the first to submit, with her shot of a picturesque stack of pancakes.
“Dave and the girls love making breakfast together every week, and I really thought that was the comfort of us as a family,” she said, regarding the source of her pancake comfort.
After Mia submitted her photo, David joined in with a photo of popcorn made “the old-fashioned way” — over the stove with butter and oil, he said.
When David first submitted his photo, his mother told him he and Mia should get their daughters involved because there was no age limit for participation.
“Madison, our twin daughter, did dumplings because she likes to eat them — she’s our little foodie and likes to try new things,” said Mia. “Our other twin daughter, Dakota, did meat pies because they were in her ‘Harry Potter’ cookbook.”
The exhibit on display at City Hall in conjunction with the Santa Clarita Library’s One Story One City program, and there’s also an online gallery, Adams said.
The exhibit parallels the 2021 One Story One City book choice, “Eat Joy: Stories and Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers,”
“It’s really cool. It’s an honor and even the fact that all four of us got picked,” said David. “It’s pretty awesome.”
David and Mia both have a passion and interest for photography. Mia has her own business taking portraits and photos of weddings.
“I love taking photos of anything adventure-orientated, and creative comforts was definitely a challenge,” said Mia.
People may view the photos virtually at any time, Adams said. To see the exhibit in person, visit City Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday or from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Hours are subject to City Hall being open, and masks are required, according to Adams.
To learn more about the “Creative Comforts” art exhibit and additional art opportunities, visit SantaClaritaArts.com. For questions, contact the city’s Arts Coordinator Katherine Nestved at [email protected].
