Contact: Danica Farley| danica.farley@utahmoca.org | 801.328.4201 x 115
www.utahmoca.org | 20 S West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
For Immediate Release:
March 13, 2012
March 13, 2012
Let Them Eat Cupcakes (aka The Cupcake Project): April 6-May 19
By Elizabeth Tobias
The Not So Sweet Truth about the Growing Hunger Epidemic in America
Salt Lake City, UT- The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to announce a new exhibition of work by Elizabeth Tobias, April 6-May 19. Let Them Eat Cupcakes (aka The Cupcake Project) combines performance, community outreach and installation art to create a sobering commentary about the scale of hunger in the United States.
During her one-night-only appearance on April 6 from 8-10 p.m., Tobias will barter homemade cupcakes to UMOCA visitors willing to share an idea or memory about hunger on an index card. The hunger index cards from the evening, along with cards from earlier iterations of the performance in Los Angeles, Boston and other American cities, will be arranged inside a colorfully lit emergency-relief tent surrounded by images of confectionary sprinkles.
The project’s title refers to the apocryphal statement attributed to French Queen Marie Antoinette, who, upon hearing that her subjects were starving for lack of bread, replied: “Let them eat cake.”
"There is something very delightful about a cupcake and everywhere I go, if I have a cupcake in my hand, people will talk to me," Tobias said. The results were varied. One card read, "Need a job and house." Another said, "All I need is someone to care about to keep pressing forward." For the show Tobias morphed her cupcake pop-up into installation art.
The residue of the April 6 performance, including tent, lanterns, index cards and images of sprinkles—but not cupcakes—will be on view at UMOCA through May 19, 2012.
About the Artist
Elizabeth Tobias has worked for over 20 years in photo, video, film and performance. Her practice purposefully intersects art with science, psychology and activism to engage and provoke dialogue concerning timely issues. Elizabeth most recently earned a Durfee ARC grant for The Cupcake Project and a resource grant from Caltech Classroom Connection for SEE THRU, an ongoing group project intersecting photography with neuroscience. She received her MA in Psychology in 2005 and has since donated time to domestic violence counseling and homeless meal outreach in the Los Angeles area. In 2006, Elizabeth purchased the historic Splinter Brothers and Sisters Warehouse in Tucson, Arizona, a vibrant art studio compound, and constructed a free public space dedicated to the presentation of performance art. Elizabeth currently lives in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Tobias has worked for over 20 years in photo, video, film and performance. Her practice purposefully intersects art with science, psychology and activism to engage and provoke dialogue concerning timely issues. Elizabeth most recently earned a Durfee ARC grant for The Cupcake Project and a resource grant from Caltech Classroom Connection for SEE THRU, an ongoing group project intersecting photography with neuroscience. She received her MA in Psychology in 2005 and has since donated time to domestic violence counseling and homeless meal outreach in the Los Angeles area. In 2006, Elizabeth purchased the historic Splinter Brothers and Sisters Warehouse in Tucson, Arizona, a vibrant art studio compound, and constructed a free public space dedicated to the presentation of performance art. Elizabeth currently lives in Los Angeles.
Special thanks to Los Angeles Art Association, where The Cupcake Project originated in 2010.
About UMOCA
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (formerly Salt Lake Art Center) was recognized as Best Museum in the State of Utah for 2011. Founded in 1931 and now located in the heart of Salt Lake City, UMOCA exhibits groundbreaking work by leading local and international artists. UMOCA is currently exhibiting 2012 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier, FAX and Onomatopoeia by Constant Dullaart. Coming up in June is Play Me I’m Yours, inviting people to show off their piano skills on street corners around downtown. UMOCA also offers a lively mix of award-winning educational programs, film screenings, panel discussions and events celebrating Salt Lake’s vibrant local art scene.
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (formerly Salt Lake Art Center) was recognized as Best Museum in the State of Utah for 2011. Founded in 1931 and now located in the heart of Salt Lake City, UMOCA exhibits groundbreaking work by leading local and international artists. UMOCA is currently exhibiting 2012 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier, FAX and Onomatopoeia by Constant Dullaart. Coming up in June is Play Me I’m Yours, inviting people to show off their piano skills on street corners around downtown. UMOCA also offers a lively mix of award-winning educational programs, film screenings, panel discussions and events celebrating Salt Lake’s vibrant local art scene.
UMOCA is located at 20 S. West Temple and is open Tuesday-Thursday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is free. For more information call (801) 328-4201 or visit www.utahmoca.org.
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Danica Farley | Director of Communications | Utah Museum of Contemporary Art | 20 S. West Temple | Salt Lake City, UT 84101 | 801.328.4201 ext. 115
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