Sock monkeys in a meat grinder? Welcome to the State Fair!

by Betsy Mowry, TC Daily Planet • August 20, 2008 •

I attended the opening reception of the State Fair art exhibit last night. There was a huge turnout for the event, though, as always, it was sweltering in the exhibit space. The exhibit was very two-dimensional—and very “attractive.” Oil paintings were hung side-by-side with some wonderful watercolors (although not always thought of as challenging, watercolor is a really difficult medium to master). It was a pleasant exhibit, with a good representation of artists from throughout the state.

Arts Orbit is a multisource blog about the local arts scene, featuring both original contributions by Daily Planet writers and entries reprinted from partner blogs and online publications.

As someone who likes a little spice in my art, I was disappointed not to see more mixed media pieces or unusual found-object works. Dare we hope for some outsider art next year? There was a decoupaged boot and what looked to be a hot-pink flocked sculpture—risqué! Unfortunately, there was no video or electronic art of any sort. How different do you think a state fair art exhibit would be, I asked my friend, in, say, California or New York? A sculptural piece called “Sock Monkeys in a Meat Grinder” won a second place ribbon. (Ribbon winners get a cash prize as well as a gi-normous ribbon for the trophy case back home.) Michael Sweere had an amazing tree mosaic in the “tree” section—oh, yeah, did I mention that the exhibit was laid out by subject matter? Trees, birds, people, blocks of color, rivers…etc.

Anyway, it was well worth a visit to the fine arts building—the exhibit is always, to me, a highlight of the fair. Another cool thing to check out is Susan Warner’s amazing “Greetings from Minnesota” mosaic postcard (above), which will become a permanent installation at the Fair. There is an unveiling tomorrow Thursday, August 21 at 10:00 a.m.; it will take place at the northeast corner of the food building, just south of the intersection of Dan Patch Drive and Cooper Avenue on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.