he Senator John Heinz History Center will examine a sweeter side of portraiture as part of a virtual program, Portraits in Icing: The Intersection of Representation, Race, and Cookies, on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
Jasmine Cho is a Pittsburgh-based artist, author, and cookie activist most known for using portrait cookies to elevate representation for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She is also a Food Network Champion and the Founder of Yummyholic.
During this virtual program, Cho will share a cookie portrait demonstration and a conversation about her unique combination of cookie art and social justice.
Virtual attendees will learn how Cho uses cookies to initiate conversations on race by creating intricate portraits of important Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and giving representation to a historically underrepresented community.
Registration is $5 for general admission and free for History Center members. An optional cookie kit is also available for purchase for $10 until Wednesday, Sept. 16, with contactless pick-up available at the History Center in advance of the program. Click here to register.
This virtual program is held in conjunction with the History Center’s powerful exhibition, Smithsonian’s Portraits of Pittsburgh: Works from the National Portrait Gallery, which features original paintings, sketches, prints, and photographs that showcase more than 100 Americans with Western Pennsylvania connections.
The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania, presents American history with a Western Pennsylvania connection. The History Center and Sports Museum are located at 1212 Smallman Street in the city’s Strip District. The History Center’s museum system includes the Sports Museum; the Fort Pitt Museum in historic Point State Park; and Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, a National Historic Landmark located in Avella, Pa. in Washington County. More information is available at www.heinzhistorycenter.org.
Pittsburgh-based artist Jasmine Cho creates intricate portraits of important Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to give representation to a historically underrepresented community. (Photo courtesy of Jasmine Cho)