It's that time of year in Minnesota once again -- the State Fair. As amused as I was by Joe Loveland's screed about all the things wrong with local TV news coverage during the Fair, which touched on the many reasons to find the Fair annoying in general, I couldn't stay away.
It was a short trip, about four hours, focused on a few foods, the crop art and the art show. No live animals were seen in the making of this visit, I'm afraid.
Unless you count the Fair's mascot, which is a gopher in a green and white jacket and a straw hat.
The gopher has his own security detail. I'm afraid to think about why he needs such a thing.
Some parts of the Fair seem to meant to make you feel like you've fallen into the Bible Belt...
...even though you're in the middle of what's supposed to be a "blue" state.
These children were busy obeying the gender color coding at the mini-ATV booth.
Okay, enough crabbiness. How about some positive things from the Fair?
I appreciate the work of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency up at the Eco Experience building. They create excellent graphics that get the message across to the public.
I loved this guy's shirt.
The art show was much better this year, as noted by the Star Tribune's Mary Abbe. In addition to the absence of any cow art, I think it's because the show's organizers finally gave up the annoying habit of grouping the pieces by their most obvious commonalities. (Four works that have crows? Let's put them all on the same wall!) Instead, they managed to create harmonious groupings that didn't detract from the works.
A couple of favorites from the art show:
This acrylic by Krista Kelley Walsh was painted on lottery tickets.
I forgot to note the name of the artist who created this sculpture, but it's worth clicking to see the larger version of it.
The Creative Arts Building gave over an entire glass showcase to Kuhlman's Tinker Toy Carnival. Super fun to look at.
The crop art was excellent, as always.
My favorite was Laura Melnick's riff on Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day. Tim and Michele welcome atheists, tree-huggers, GLBT folks, and vegans to an inclusive America. While pigs fly and hell freezes over.
You never know what you'll see in the horticulture building.
Which is, by the way, sponsored by Walmart.
I guess I am way too well-read to be a Vikings fan. When I saw this ad for the Vikings, all I could think of was cuckoldry. I doubt that's what they had in mind.
Past Fair posts:
Friday, September 2, 2011
State Fair, the Road Unbeaten
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2 comments:
So glad you took your camera to the fair. You covered a lot in four hours. Our favorite fair pun, which we have to recite any time we approach the building with the crop art: You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think. Thank you Dorothy Parker.
I knew about the horticulture building but had no idea there was an art show! Thanks for taking so many photos. Really enjoy your sense of humor! Cinda
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