Museums typically have strict policies and security preventing guests from touching the art and artifacts on display. And food and drinks in the galleries are out of the question. But in Austin, Texas, U.S., the Blanton Museum of Art initiated a fun, creative opportunity for art lovers to enjoy featured pieces through smell, touch, and taste. The "Great Blanton Bake-Off" invites people to create baked goods inspired by the 21 thousand works of art in its collection. Inspired individuals bake a dessert that mirrors one of the museum's featured items, and send in a photo of it, which the museum shares online. Members of the public vote for winners in three different categories: Under-18, Amateur Adult, and Professional Adult. Dreamed up by the museum's digital content manger, Lizabel Stella, when the museum was closed due to the pandemic, the initiative is now an annual tradition in its fourth year. One reason Stella suspects the contest is so popular is that it helps make art much more approachable, she told Smithsonian magazine's Antonia Mufarech last year.

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