by Leah Rosenberg

Today we celebrate National Ice Cream Day with a couple of art-inspired ice cream sandwiches! You can thank President Ronald Reagan, who in 1984, designated the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day.  Clearly exhibiting his good sense when it comes to sweets, he carried on to proclaim the entire month of  July as National Ice Cream Month.  In the proclamation, President Reagan (who also had an affinity for jelly beans!) called for all people of the United States to observe these events with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Photo by Clay McLachlan.

Joel Shapiro, Untitled, 2008 (Pastel and charcoal on paper) Photo by Clay McLachlan

Caitlin’s sketchbook detailing Joel Shapiro Ice Cream Sandwich recipe and flavors.

We designed this dessert- a layer of strawberry and then lavender ice cream sandwiched between two vanilla ice box cookies (one with a black stripe and the other with a yellow stripe) for the  2011 SFMOMA Art Auction.  When SFMOMA asked us to do a special something for the upcoming art auction, we explored a few ideas before settling on this ice cream treat based on Joel Shapiro’s 2008 Untitled pastel drawing.  Earlier on, we mocked up thoughts for  Liz Larner chocolate dipped potato chips in which house-made potato chips would be dipped in a black cocoa-tobacco chocolate shell.  We considered a mondrian-style cake that reveals a colorful Mark Grotjahn burst.

Leah’s sketchbook brainstorming desserts for SFMOMA 2011 Art Auction.

The Joel Shapiro ice cream sandwich was a rendition of our Agnes Martin version we created  in 2010 while her paintings were on view for the exhibition, Calder to Warhol,  introducing the Fisher Collection and celebrating the museum’s 75th anniversary.  Subtle bands of cream, parchment and a glaze of creamy yellow inn Martin’s painting Wheat were translated into delicious, quiet layers of rose mastic ice milk, chamomile ice cream contained between two buckwheat biscuits. 

Photo by Todd Selby

Over the years, we created a few more art-inspired ice cream-focused treats, which can all be found with inspirational stories and recipes in the Modern Art Desserts book.  Hopefully there are enough of them to get you through to the end of this ice cream focused month… consider it your patriotic duty to enjoy them!