Nick Cave x Eli’s Cheesecake
Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune called it “One of the most unusual but encouraging collaborations in the city’s history.” “This is clearly one of the most interesting and creative collaborations in Chicago this year: The idea is brilliant, the design is beautiful, and the cakes are delicious. And the people involved are a great example of what Chicago is all about.” posted Michael Fassnacht, CEO, World Business Chicago. They are referring to the unprecedented edible art collaboration between prolific artist Nick Cave and the legendary Chicago bakery, Eli’s Cheesecake, which debuted at the premiere of Cave’s documentary at The Museum of Contemporary Art, where Cave’s exhibit Forothermore enjoyed unprecedented attendance.
Nick Cave and Eli’s Cheesecake first crossed paths as winners of the 2022 Mayor’s Medal of Honor, an award recognizing those who have made extraordinary contributions to Chicago. Recipients Nick Cave and his creative and life partner Bob Faust, were honored for their practice of “art with civic responsibility” as evidenced by AMENDS, a three-part exhibit exploring race and accountability following the murder of George Floyd and for their powerful work on the CTA, at their FACILITY studio on the Northwest side and in partnership with CPS’ Schurz High School. Eli’s Cheesecake received the award for its over 30 year partnership with Refugee One, enabling the company to hire individuals from around the world, including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Congo, Kosovo, Syria, Iraq, Ruanda, Burma and Tibet, comprising 25% of the bakery’s workforce. In addition, Eli’s donated cheesecake to support vaccine efforts across the city. At the reception, Maureen Schulman asked Cave if he would ever consider doing a collaboration with Eli’s. He surprisingly agreed, as long as it met three criteria: It had to amplify the message of his exhibit Forothermore, impart an inspirational message and embody an element of surprise.
With a shared commitment to civic responsibility, Nick Cave and Bob Faust began dreaming up a collaboration with Eli’s Cheesecake that checked all the boxes and would celebrate the power of connection, with proceeds benefiting Facility Foundation, their own non-profit supporting young and underrepresented artists with scholarships, commissions and presentation opportunities.
The artists took Eli’s Cheesecake Cuties, the bakery’s popular bite-sized, chocolate-dipped cheesecake squares, to the next level by designing a completely handmade set, each sporting a different color,flavor and symbol from Cave’s exhibit, imparting this hopeful message: “Love, happiness, equality, and peace.”
According to Cave, “This rainbow package contains an extremely delicious collection of life tenets chosen and designed by myself and created by the extraordinary team at Eli’s, as a response to my exhibition titled Forothermore. I see these tenets as guideposts as well as filters that warm and connect us to each other.” Marc Schulman, President of Eli’s Cheesecake added, “Like art, we look at food as a way to unite people. We are honored to partner with Nick Cave, whose work educates, inspires, and helps us all imagine a better future.”
The Nick Cave x Eli’s collaboration was available for the holidays beginning November 1, 2022. Two sets (10 Cuties) were packaged in a custom inner and shipping box designed by Cave and Faust, guaranteed to surprise and delight. And we are pleased to announce that these special edition Cheesecake Cuties will return in 2023! PRE-ORDER NOW FOR HOLIDAY 2023 DELIVERY!
