ARTIST STATEMENT
In my art, I use desserts as my media because of their connection to traditional homemaking skills, as well as the double entendres and women as dessert metaphors that have been used throughout history. I took this image after creating my fifth series of pies celebrating vulva diversity. The news of the leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe had just aired and it felt like a betrayal and setback that was signaling our impending doom. Cutting the pies into little appetizer slices and serving them to the viewer with the signal of dire distress represented my feeling of helplessness and my nod to all my foremothers who didn’t settle for their given status as second-class citizens.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, have a BFA in Painting, and certification to teach art to grades preK- 12. In addition, I ran a very busy home bakery for many years, have a dessert blog, and teach cake decorating and baking courses at a local vocational school.
In October 2020, I made the heart wrenching decision to resign from my public school teaching position. During the winter of 2020-2021, feeling liberated from the eyes and expectations of the education system, I returned to my own personal art.
My art work relies heavily on symbolism and personal narrative. I love dualities, double entendres, and seeing multiple sides to an issue. This all culminated in me using dessert as an artistic medium to react to my life and times as a woman in America. Pie was the perfect symbol and Instagram was the proverbial window where I first shared my new art.
© Mikel Ibarra/ Pies in the Window