Even though millions of its crudely rendered “masterpieces” have graced refrigerators around the world for decades, macaroni art has never been accorded any respect by the world’s art community.

KD is attempting to change that with a new campaign from The Kitchen timed for World Art Day  (April 15) that asked why the world’s great art institutions continue to exclude these so-called “macsterpieces” from their collection.

A social post that kicked off the campaign pointed out that Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” (which consists of simply a signed urinal) and Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s “The Comedian” (a banana duct-taped to a wall) have all been treated with reverence by the art world, but mac art has never been given its due.

As part of the campaign, the brand reached out to several leading art institutions, including The Smithsonian, The Museum of Modern Art and The National Gallery in London, asking if they had any mac art in their permanent collections. They all said no.

The brand then worked with pop artist Jason Mecier, whose previous macaroni art includes renderings of Real Housewives cast members, to create a piece made from 35,000 macaroni noodles. His creation shows a faceless cowboy riding a macaroni noodle.

KD also created wild postings featuring noodle renderings of famous paintings—including the “Mona Lisa,” Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” and Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus”—outside of prominent Toronto museums and galleries including the Art Gallery of Ontario and OCAD U. All of the posters feature the hashtag #MacArtIsRealArt.

“We continue to stay on the pulse of culture and provide our consumers with one-of-a-kind experiences,” said KD brand manager Jerome Skeene. “The development of our Macsterpiece reinforces that noodle art is a legitimate art form and ties nicely into the cultural moment of World Art Day, for our KD community to actively engage in.”

Carat handled media for the campaign, with Middle Child responsible for PR.