Tag: Minnesota State Fair

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Seeding Activism

From a tiny joke to a mighty oak…

Wall-to-Wall Walz at the Minnesota State Fair Seed Art Show, Isabella Segalovich, Hyperallergic, August 30, 2024

Local artists get political in painstakingly crafted mosaics at the only state fair crop art display in the United States.

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minnesota — From a rotating gallery of butter sculptures to a hall bursting with quilts and embroidery, the annual Minnesota State Fair is always awash with creative endeavors. But the line is always the longest at the crop art display, the only one of its kind at a state fair in the United States. Here, fairgoers crowd shoulder-to-shoulder, sipping honey-infused lemonade from the nearby beekeeping room as they inspect hundreds of painstakingly crafted mosaics made entirely out of Minnesota-grown seeds. And more than any other art on the fairgrounds, this richly nutty art form is often explicitly and proudly political. Click here for more.

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And From a Tiny Acorn…

There’s no greater pleasure than watching something grow. This time from seeds to art.

Sowing Discord at Minnesota’s Seed Art Competition, by Isabella Segalovich, Hyperallergic, September 5, 2023

At the Minnesota State Fair, some crop artists promoted timely political messages with corn, quinoa, and flax seeds.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The longest line at the second biggest state fair in the United States wasn’t for the prize cows, roller coaster rides, or various deep-fried foods served on a stick: It was for the seed art.

The wait was worth it. Past scores of vintage seed sacks and neatly stacked corn cobs vying for Best of Show ribbons, visitors craned their necks to marvel at the bounty of intricate mosaics made completely out of seeds at the Minnesota State Fair, which ran from August 24 to September 4. While the vast majority of participating crop artists were Minnesotans, the country’s only state fair seed art competition has also graciously expanded its dozens of categories to include out-of-state competitors, as long as they stick to one rule: Every seed must be grown in Minnesota.

I was struck not just by this craft’s painstaking nature but also by the diversity of its subject matter, which ranges from impressive portraits and still lifes to timely pop culture references and biting political commentary. This year’s show included tributes to lost luminaries (Judy Heumann, Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman), hot pink Barbie memorabilia, OceanGate (“the little sub that couldn’t”), excitement over Minnesota’s marijuana legalization, displays of support for trans youth and adults, clap backs to Ron DeSantis (“Minnesota, where woke goes to bloom!”), and lots and lots of yacht-smashing orcas. Read the rest of the article here.

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