Growing up in New York City has taught me to always pay attention to my surroundings, as well as to be an open-minded individual. It is a cultural melting pot and an artistic wonderland with an abundance of galleries, museums, graffiti, posters, and people. On the flip-side, NYC is also an extremely hectic and fast-paced place. So do we always notice art? If so, how and what do we notice? Personally, I don’t purposely look for art, but I’m extremely observant and always stumble upon it. Usually I notice non-traditional forms of art: tiny stickers, graffiti in odd places, or different architectural structures, but, for me, it doesn’t stop there. At home I’m able to witness the many creations of a non-traditional artist—a 3-D cake artist—named Tabatha Lozano. She is the owner of Sprinkle Splash Bakery</a>, and she is also my mother.

Cake art is fascinating to me not just because of the time it takes and the tedious, intricate detail of the work, but because it’s also edible! My mom begins her work by carving cake into the basic shape that is needed, and then uses frosting and cake crumbs to further define the sculpture. Lastly she covers the sculpted cake in fondant (a sugary, dough-like substance), and adds any last details, bringing her 3-D edible sculpture to life.</div>

Recently I asked my mom about her most challenging cakes. Her response was simple: “The most challenging cakes are the ones for the people who I love and care about. So I’d have to say the most challenging was your birthday cake. It’s like you know someone so well and you know what they like, so you have to figure out how to transform that into a cake that they’ll love. Especially when they give you full artistic freedom and it’s a surprise. It can either be a hit or miss.”

Well, my cake was definitely a hit and in total it was 10 tiers high, along with two seperate, two-tiered cakes on each side! I was only allowed to see the sketch and give her some ideas as to what I wanted, but to actually see the end product was awesome. I know just how much time she puts into all of her creations, as well as how much love she puts into them, which made it even greater a surprise. It allowed me to understand just what people feel when they see the edible masterpiece she creates for them or their loved ones. Her cakes truly are a work of art because, in my opinion, art should evoke emotions and have the ability to intrigue people, which is exactly what her cakes do.

This week, every post on Inside/Out is created by participants in the MoMA + MoMA PS1 Cross-Museum Collective, a behind-the-scenes program for teenage alumni of our In the Making studio-art classes. Over the course of the 16-week project, the participating teens work with educators, curators, security staff, conservators, and other Museum staff to gain hands-on experience across a number of fields. In addition, they create collaborative artwork with a range of contemporary artists. More info can be found HERE and HERE. Info on our 2014 free summer art courses for teens is available now.