Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is on display at the Centennial Library until Jan. 9.
Kessly Salinas/ Midland Reporter Telegram
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is on display at the Centennial Library until Jan. 9.
Kessly Salinas/ Midland Reporter Telegram
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is on display at the Centennial Library until Jan. 9.
Kessly Salinas/Midland Reporter-Telegram
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is on display at the Centennial Library until Jan. 9.
Kessly Salinas/Midland Reporter-Telegram
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is on display at the Centennial Library until Jan. 9.
Kessly Salinas/Midland Reporter-Telegram
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is on display at the Centennial Library until Jan. 9.
Kessly Salinas/Midland Reporter-Telegram
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is on display at the Centennial Library until Jan. 9.
Kessly Salinas/Midland Reporter-Telegram
The aroma of French cuisine fills the air as visitors to the Midland County Centennial Library move through displays of handwritten recipes, cookbooks and photographs, offering a glimpse into the life of one of America’s most influential culinary figures.
At Centennial Library, the story of Julia Child isn’t limited to the pages of a cookbook or a television program.
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Through an interactive exhibit featuring historical artifacts, hands-on activities and even the scents of some of her most recognizable dishes, visitors can explore the life and legacy of the television chef who helped introduce generations of Americans to French cuisine.
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life will remain at the library through Jan. 9. The free exhibit gives visitors an opportunity to learn about Child’s journey from her early life and military service to her culinary education and television career.
For the Midland County Public Library Foundation, bringing exhibits like this to the community is part of a larger effort to make the library a destination for residents throughout the Permian Basin.
“We want to make sure this is a destination for all people all over the Permian Basin to come to,” said Chris Stonedale, executive director for Midland County Public Library Foundation.
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The foundation works to support library programs, literacy initiatives and special exhibits that bring people through the doors and introduce them to the other resources available at the library.
The exhibit was also sponsored by the FMH Foundation in honor of F. Marie Hall, who was known for being a foodie.
The Julia Child exhibit occupies 5,000 square feet, while the library only had about 2,500 square feet available. Staff worked to select and arrange displays that would preserve the story while adapting it to the available space.
Stonedale said the goal is to provide a free place where families, children and adults can spend time together while discovering something new.
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“We want to have a destination for them to come, a free place for them to come,” Stonedale said.
Beyond the exhibit, visitors can take advantage of the library’s other offerings, including story times, reading programs, meeting spaces and educational activities.
A recipe for life
Throughout the exhibit, visitors can explore Child’s relationship with her husband, Paul Child, whose support played an important role in her career. Visitors can also learn about her time working with the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency, during World War II.
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Other displays highlight her time studying French cuisine, developing recipes and publishing cookbooks that would eventually become staples in American kitchens.
One of the exhibit’s interactive features allows visitors to experience the smells associated with some of Child’s recipes. The scents, created using essential oils, accompany displays throughout the exhibit and give visitors another way to connect with the dishes she helped popularize.
Visitors can also explore her television career, including the creative control she maintained over her cooking shows and the recognition she received as a pioneer in culinary television.
Lisandro Reyes, exhibit and programs director at Centennial Library, helped curate and assemble the exhibit. He said bringing Child’s story to Midland has been a rewarding experience.
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“This has been one of my favorites so far,” Reyes said. “It’s been really fun to put this up and see the enjoyment of a lot of patrons. Many didn’t realize we hosted exhibits and they found out we had a Julia Child exhibit and you could just see the joy in their eyes.”
Reyes said that some visitors have shared that Child inspired their interest in cooking, while others have credited her television programs with sparking an interest in food and culinary arts.
The exhibit has also inspired visitors to share a little of their own culinary history.
Near the entrance, patrons are invited to write down recipes they enjoy and contribute them to a growing collection. The goal is to give community members an opportunity to share recipes with others and potentially see them added to the library’s circulating collection.
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The exhibit has also been accompanied by several library activities, including a screening of “Julie & Julia” on opening day, miniature food-making activities using clay, food-themed crafts and movie screenings centered on cooking.
Staff members said visitors have stopped to thank the library for hosting the exhibit, with some specifically asking that their appreciation be passed along to the people responsible for bringing it to Midland.
Dining and Cooking