Graduates From Cranbrook, Moves To New York, Serves Rat For Dinner

Laura Ginn is a New York artists from metro Detroit. She received an MFA in photography from Cranbrook in 2010.

She appeared in the New York Times this week because she is involved in a gallery show about self-reliance that revolves around a dinner at which the main course is rat. 

Ginn admits she is getting people to push their boundaries.

As the Times wrote: Twenty people, mostly friends of Ginn or the gallery owner, nibbled on goat cheese bruschetta topped with rat leg tenderloin, and rat-pork terrine encircled with beef fat, prepared by a chef after much trial and error with his proteins.

"The rats were shipped from a United States Department of Agriculture-approved West Coast processor that supplies pet owners with humanely killed, individually flash-frozen rodents, in classifications ranging from 'jumbo' to 'fuzzy.' Seventy five rats were skinned and cooked — and broiled and smoked and grilled — for the dinner, and most guests paid $100 each to attend, signing a liability waiver, some not entirely willingly."

Ginn, 28, told the Times skinning and eating rats represents the survivalist instincts she likes to explore in her work.

 “To have these sorts of skills, it’s very empowering,” she said. “It makes me feel like I have more control over my world.”

To see a Kickstarter video in which she explains her work, click here.