A Few More from the 2018 Fair

Just a few things beyond the crop art I already shared:


I don't think I've ever mentioned Fairchild, the Minnesota State Fair mascot. Yes, he's a gopher. This old sign is displayed on the second floor of the Grandstand.


I don't spend a lot of time watching for clever or annoying T-shirts, but I did like this sign, which was attached to the back of a mobility scooter. Its owner didn't want to be in the photo.


Probably the coolest thing I saw the whole day was this display outside the Eco Experience building. Each of those planted areas in front of the signs is a different kind of soil use: perennial grasses on the far left, then an annual crop with a buffer strip, a paved surface, an annual crop done without tilling, and a fully mulched area. Below each are two jars. The one in the back is the water that infiltrated through the soil and the one in the front is the amount of water that ran off from the soil. It's hard to see in the photo, but there was a lot more liquid in the infiltration jars for the perennial grasses and no-till crops and almost no run off, while the paved surface was all runoff. The buffer strip made  a big difference in decreasing runoff, too.

I took photos of just a few things from the art show. The first one is by Nathan Stromberg (one of the featured artists, rather than part of the juried show):


At first glance it looks like a painting simulating a classic postcard. But when you look closer, you realize...


...that it's a collage and every bit of it created from small bits of color and texture from printed magazines.


This large neon piece by Monica Sheets was chosen by the Weisman Art Museum for its permanent collection, and I can see why.

The last piece I wanted to share is by Jean Hawton, titled Into the Evening with Her Little Black Dress:


It's a reused vintage black wool dress, which Hawton modified in a spectacular way...


...including creating a snake for a belt. Now that's what I call upcycling!