Mia unveils 10 artworks from the State Fair for its first crop art exhibition

All those crop art seeds are getting their day in the sun.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is giving crop art displayed at the Minnesota State Fair the museum treatment with its “Cream of the Crop: A Minnesota Folk Art Showcase” exhibit.

For its first-ever crop art exhibition, the Mia’s Director and President, Katie Luber; Associate Curator of European Art, Galina Olmsted; and Associate Curator of Global and Contemporary Art, Leslie Ureña, have selected 10 pieces from the fair to feature in the exhibition.

Two of those pieces are selected as part of the Mia’s new crop art awards: best interpretation of an artwork at Mia and best interpretation of a Minnesota landmark, story, or figure.

Those winners and eight honorable mentions will be put on display in the museum’s rotunda beginning on Sept. 6.

Crop art is a form that the Mia aptly calls “meticulous.” Artists use seeds, grains, and other plant materials to craft detailed pieces that are often funny and sometimes somber, as with the many tributes to the late Rep. Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman, and their dog, Gilbert, who were fatally shot by a gunman posing as a police officer in June.

Related: Seed art submissions pay tribute to Hortmans, family dog Gilbert

At the fair, the crop art is exclusively created with Minnesota-grown seeds, such as glossy black flax, red sorghum, wild rice, lentils, and mustard seeds, the Mia notes.

“I’m excited to see Mia continue its embrace and celebration of folk art with this exhibition,” says Marta Shore, Assistant Superintendent of Crop Art and Scarecrow at the Minnesota State Fair. “Crop artists use their considerable talent and creativity to express themselves by using the agricultural products of our state, and we all appreciate seeing a Minnesota art institution recognizing our work.”

The “best interpretation of an artwork at Mia” has been awarded to Amy and Steve Saupe’s “The Treachery of a Pronto Pup,” a humorous interpretation of  René Magritte’s “The Treachery of Images.”

The original features a pipe with the inscription “Ceci n’est pas une pipe,” French for “This is not a pipe.” The Saupes’ piece features a Pronto Pup and the inscription “Ceci n’est pas un corn dog.”

The winner in the “best interpretation of a Minnesota landmark, story, or tradition” category was won by Jeanne Morales for her piece, “My Chagall Dream.”

Her interpretation of themes in Marc Chagall’s work features a woman flying over the Twin Cities with landmarks below, such as First Avenue, the Riverview Theater, The Hook and Ladder Theater, Harriet Island, and Merlin’s Rest.

Honorable mentions include “Goat” by Annmarie Geniusz, “Broken Pinky, Unbroken Justice” by Juventino Meza, “Star Gazing” by Nancy Rzeszutek, “Old Dutch and Top the Tater” by Kaela Reinardy, “Vincent Van Grow Olive Trees” by Jill Osiecki, “All the Eternal Love I Have for Crop Art” by Jill Moe, “Under the Wave off Kanagawa (also known as the Great Wave)” by Amanda Cashman, and “Crop Art study of Alice Neel’s ‘Christy White, 1958′” by Ursula Murray Husted.

“Cream of the Crop” will be on display at the Mia from Sept. 6 to 28. It is free to attend.

Related: Mia puts the surreal side of the Renaissance in the spotlight this summer

This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the MN Lifestyle section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.