How can you have your cake and eat it too? That was the conundrum we solved over the holiday break. The answer is many cakes, done differently for two separate birthdays.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is celebrating their 100th birthday throughout 2015. They started with a birthday brunch and “Master Pieces of Cake” on New Year’s Day. We love an excuse to visit the MIA and we are fans of cake. The cakes at the MIA were gorgeous! Unfortunately they were there to be seen – not tasted.
If I ruled the world, I would have included some edible impressions too but I suspect that’s easier said than done. Also I would have encouraged lots of arty pastries, almost like a culinary “Art in Bloom,” which they do so well. But we enjoyed the cakes that were there and it was an added excuse to visit the MIA. (To be fair, we go monthly so it’s not like we had to look up directions.)
Frank Stella’s Tahkt-I-Sulayman Variation II has never looked so yummy! I think the pastry chef caught the essence of the art, without exact replication.
Red Groom’s Dali Salad was much more replica than impression but so perfect for selflies (or mini-me selfies if you happen to have kids to pose).
City Glow by Chiho Aoshima was the favorite of my 10 year old associate. She immediately recognized the art because she used to spend hours watching the original City Glow. I hope that the popularity of the cake will help bring that masterpiece back!
The MIA also celebrated by unveiling a special exhibition, American Modernism: Selections from the Kunin Collection. There are 80 new pieces, which is a sample of the entire Kunin Collection. The hope is that these become part of the permanent collection. (On January 11 they are continuging the party with a kids’ day.)
And while this is happening on one part of town, the Walker is celebrating their 75th birthday with cupcakes, which were created for patrons to eat. They did a great job recreating mini versions of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Spoon and Cherry on cupcakes. The fondant made is beautiful; the butter cream made it delicious.
The cupcake unveil was part of the regularly scheduled Family First Saturday event, which also included special movies and interactive craft projects. (Maybe I should say art projects given the venue.)
The Walker has been celebrating their 75 years by asking 75 questions, which has included a number of events and will include more in the upcoming months. Again, we were happy for the excuse to go to the Walker, but we are frequent visitors so it didn’t take much.
I think both family-friendly events demonstrate an interest in Minnesota in breeding local art lovers. I appreciate the effort and I think it’s a wise investment if you want to encourage creative thinking, innovation and grow support for other local galleries in the Twin Cities – help them to get to their 75th and 100th birthdays!
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