Coraline Cake

9" x 18.5" x 18.5"

Rattan, Hamburg cane, repurposed cat food bags, ribbon, crystals, trims, silk fabric, machine embroidery, beads, oak base

Generally considered women’s work, cakes are baked and enjoyed worldwide as people gather to celebrate. Dr. Alice B. Stockham, the fifth female physician in the US, contributed a recipe for a Coraline cake in a Suffragette cookbook, which was designed to raise money for the cause. Stockham, a gynecologist/obstetrician, rallied for the health and happiness of women, but her rich custard and fruit-filled recipe was denounced as being too erotic, therefore inappropriate for women’s consumption. Women have eked out spaces in which they might thrive and excel, and in this project, I sought to highlight the infringement into women’s domains and the cost to women who have dedicated their lives to a dream.