DNAid Deli Cups



Roz Chast, Maira Kalman, Cary Leibowitz/Candyass, Larry Miller, Tom Tomorrow and Calabazitaz Tiernaz.


July 2000 - 2002
Deli Coffee Cups
Photo © 2000 Roz Chast

DNAid was a series of public art projects which ran from July 2000 until 2002, that addressed the implications of today’s genetic research on our society’s future. The initiative first launched with artist-designed deli coffee cups by Roz Chast, Maira Kalman, Cary Leibowitz, Larry Miller, and Tom Tomorrow. The cups were distributed throughout all five boroughs in various coffee shops and bodegas. The project encouraged public awareness of genetic research; the coffee cups infiltrated the morning rituals of many New Yorkers as they went to their corner deli for their morning coffee. They were surprised to discover their brew adorned with cartoons discussing the ethical implications of genetic engineering. "Since Dolly was cloned, artists haven’t really examined how altering the human genome will affect our culture,” Director of Creative Time Anne Pasternak remarked.* "We were looking for a way to convey complex information, spark debate, and do it with humor.”

*Kristine Ziwica, "Wake Up and Smell the Cloning," Print, July/August, 2000.

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