News Article

Mars, Incorporated Sponsors U.S. Tour of National Archives’ Food Exhibition

April 30, 2013

The Foundation for the National Archives is pleased to announce that Mars, Incorporated and its Uncle Ben’s® Brand have donated $250,000 to sponsor a national tour of the National Archives Experience’s popular exhibition “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?”

The generous donation will help launch a multi-city traveling exhibition of “What’s Cooking?” beginning in 2014. The gift follows a $100,000 donation by the company and its subsidiary, Mars Food, to sponsor “What’s Cooking?” when it debuted in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, in 2011.

The landmark exhibit, curated by the National Archives’ Alice Kamps, uses the treasured records of the National Archives to explore how federal policies affect the food Americans eat. The exhibit is divided into four sections – Farm, Factory, Kitchen, and Table — and illustrates the role government agencies play in influencing the production, regulation, research, innovation, and economics of the food supply.

“We thank Mars, Incorporated for its support of the National Archives and this exhibition,” said Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero. “This company and the Mars family have generously donated not only their resources, but also their time, to help the Archives and its foundation to educate the public about our shared culinary history and the role that our Government plays in our daily lives. This new gift will allow us to take a wonderful exhibit around the country to reach more Americans and fulfill our mission to make Government records accessible to the people.”

“We are thrilled that Mars, Incorporated has once again joined the Foundation in supporting the National Archives Experience and its traveling exhibition program,” said A’Lelia Bundles, Chair and President of the Foundation. “’What’s Cooking?’ was so well-received in Washington, and we are confident that it will excite audiences around the nation.”

The popular “What’s Cooking?” exhibition opened at the National Archives’ O’Brien Gallery in June 2011 and was accompanied by a temporary restaurant, the America Eats Tavern, created by Chef José Andrés and ThinkFoodGroup in support of the exhibit.

Mars’ previous donation was used to launch the exhibit in Washington and to support its marketing and educational components, related programming, online support, publications, and outreach materials.

“We value our partnership with the National Archives and this opportunity to help provide an engaging experience into how quality food is produced and the history of food in our culture,” said Paul S. Michaels, president, Mars, Incorporated.

The traveling exhibit will be accompanied by two award-winning books published by the Foundation – the exhibit catalog What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?, and a cookbook, Eating with Uncle Sam: Recipes and Historical Bites from the National Archives – both of which are available through the myArchives online store.

Tour details will be released later this year.