A Taste for Art:
Students' Creations Made to be Eaten

(Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, 22 March 2000) Milwaukee Sentinal Journal
By Gary Rummler of the Journal Sentinel staff


Photo/Mary Jo Walicki
Kate Wiseman (from left), Jane Van Eerden, Claire Davis and Lauren Hobbs 
dismantle the Leaning Tower of Pisa during the Edible Art Exhibit at 
Wauwatosa West High School. 
The 120 entries were judged Monday and then consumed.





(Wauwatosa) - A two-foot-high hula dancer won best of show, but when the art exhibit was over, spectators 
made it clear which piece of art was their best of show - a detailed piece of sculpture carved entirely out of chocolate.

That piece of sculpted chocolate, created by Emily Price of Wauwatosa East High School, was one of the first art 
objects to go when spectators were permitted to eat all the creations entered in this year's Wauwatosa Edible Art 
Exhibit.  No matter how artistically and strikingly arranged by East students Renee Peterson, Becky Gruenewald 
and Erin Matzke, the bread that formed the dancer's body, the lettuce skirt and that kiwi that was cut in half and 
placed at two other strategic spots just didn't have the artistic impact of a hunk of pure dark chocolate.

The two exhibits were among about 120 submitted by Wauwatosa's elementary, middle and high school students 
for the second annual all-you-can-eat art buffet, held this year at Wauwatosa West High School.  The only 
restriction for artists was that everything that went into their creations had to be able to go into stomachs.  That was 
simple for Price's entry, an abstract sculpture that won the high school division.

Other exhibits used a variety of ingredients.  Dan Vick, the Whitman Middle School student who won his category 
with a bust of Donald Duck called "Cheese and Quackers," used cheddar cheese, cream cheese, eggs, frosting and 
crackers.  Amanda Varhaegen of Eisenhower Elementary School, whose "Spring in the Park" won that division, had 
a gelatin fishing pond with cookie lily pads.  A tornado was created from pancakes coated with chocolate by Brian 
Morrison and Colin Van Ert of Underwood Elementary School.  

Lisa Cox of Wauwatosa West built the Eiffel Tower with candy, wafer cookies and frosting.  Some students used 
food to represent food. A huge Oreo cookie was made from chocolate cake, white frosting and candy by East's 
Kyndal Hettich, Amie Simaytis and Joanne Sosney.  The show attracted about 200 art lovers, all of whom, of course, 
left with a better taste for art.