Milktoast 

Editor: Here we have "Milktoast" by Cassidy Rae Marietta, created using mixed media and acrylic paint. It immediately strikes me as decorative, almost like an Art Nouveau poster, but with a really modern sensibility. What's your take on it? Curator: It's intriguing how the artist weaves together these visual languages. The overt decorativeness and repeating patterns certainly echo Art Nouveau, and also bring to mind the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 70s. I wonder how we can read this layering of historical styles through a contemporary lens of identity and representation? Does this reclaiming of the decorative – historically dismissed as feminine or craft – function as a subversive act? Editor: I see what you mean! The way the figure is central, but almost becomes *part* of the pattern, complicates things. Is she empowered, or subsumed? Curator: Precisely! Think about the gaze. Is it challenging? Defiant? Or does it suggest vulnerability within this ornate, almost overwhelming, environment? The single eye motif on her chest definitely encourages one to think about perception, being seen, and being known. We might even consider how the title itself, “Milktoast,” traditionally implies a lack of power or strength and, by extension, invites viewers to re-examine historical gender stereotypes and internalized experiences. Editor: That's fascinating; I hadn't considered the implications of the title so deeply. It really adds another layer to the artwork's meaning. Curator: Indeed. The power here lies in Marietta’s intersectional exploration of self-portraiture, coupled with pattern design and how its individual characteristics interact to become something greater. The viewer now has a path to understanding the context and historical underpinnings that helped shape this art, and can engage more thoughtfully with the art they experience day to day. Editor: I am now thinking about Pattern and Decoration's feminist project. Thank you.