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Today, Hillary Rodham Clinton is one of the most recognizable figures in the world. Shes known forbeing theUnited States first female Democratic nominee for president, serving as Secretary of State under the Obama administration and for championing health care as First Lady. But also woven into the fabric of Clintons complicated legacy is one sharp, memorable comment that shegave reporters back in1992 during the Democratic presidential primary: I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life, Clinton told media.

A hoopla blossomed from her words, andFamily Circlemagazine responded by challenging the soon-to-be First Lady to a bake-off. And so, Americans are left with another (this time accidental) legacy from the trailblazing politician: her recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Ive been baking the cookies myself, artist Jennifer Rubell told me by phone. You learn a lot about someone by making this recipe. The New York-based artist has made a name for herself in the art world for creating elaborate performances involving foodand witty interactive sculptures. This week, she opens her first New York gallery show at Sargents Daughters on the Lower East Side, titled Housewife, and among the works on viewwhich include a sculpturethat allows viewers to carry a bride over the threshold, vacuum in high-heels and a painting that featuresthe artists real cell phone numberis a 5-foot-tall orange cookie jar which has beencast in the shape of one of Clintons iconic pantsuits. For the showsduration, the sculpture, calledVessel,will be filled with cookies made using Clintons recipe, and baked by Rubell.

Shes a public figure for my generation of women. She was a vessel for our dreams and frustrations, said Rubell. The territory in Hillary that most interests me is the relationship between her feminism and femininity.

Vesselwasclose to 80 percent finished before the election on November 8, according to the artist. And while some last-minute decisions were made following Clintons loss to Donald Trump, Rubellhadprepared for either outcome.

The work was completely conceived before the election, she said. I made the decision to have her positioned so shes stepping off the pedestal. It was an instinctive, formal decision, and now looking at it, its very biographical.

The piece, says Rubell, is meant asa portrait. My only goal was really to do some accurate portrait of her, and I feel like whether she wonor lost it was her fated outcome. If it was accurate enough, empathetic and open hearted enough, and political enough, the fate would be built into the piece.

As for the form of Rubells portrait, Clintons rainbow-hued collection of pantsuits are so popular theyve spawned internet memes, and even inspired the name of an invite-onlyFacebook group for supporters called Pantsuit Nation. She could have at any moment in her career locked into an outfit and the conversation would be over, she said. She made the decision to express herself in a very feminine way through color and what she wore.

On the wide-spectrum that is Clintons pantsuit rainbow, Rubellzeros-in on one of hermore boldly colored ensembles. The orange is the most insane, extreme color on the spectrum. The color youd never wear to rule the free world is orangeI love the inclination.

For some, the decision to serve Clinton s cookies out of giant pair of pants will certainly recall memories of Clintons1992 feminist credo, and the sweets-for-votes campaign that followed. For others, it will be a sore but colorful reminder ofa future that could have been. But whichever way the cookie crumbles, Rubell says, Its what never really happens in politics: a real look at a person who plays an outsized role in our lives.

Jennifer Rubell: Housewife is on view at Sargents Daughters January 18-February 16.

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Art (and Cookies) Served Up in Hillary Clinton's Orange Pantsuit - Observer