Cheesecake Contest, A & S, Manhasset 1979

Editor: This black and white photograph is titled "Cheesecake Contest, A & S, Manhasset" by Elaine Mayes. It pictures a room full of women seated behind tables laden with cakes. It has a documentary feel. What can you tell me about this image? Curator: The image speaks volumes about gendered spaces and domestic labor. Note the composition – the women are physically separated from their creations by a barrier, judged on their culinary skills. Does this contest empower or further reinforce societal expectations? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It’s interesting to think about it in terms of women's roles. Curator: Exactly. It prompts us to question the politics embedded within seemingly ordinary events, and who has the power to define those roles. Editor: I see it now. Thanks for opening my eyes. Curator: My pleasure. Art invites us to continually re-evaluate these power structures.