Cream of the Crop: Mia Celebrates Minnesota’s Iconic Tradition with New Crop Art Exhibition –– Minneapolis Institute of Art

Cream of the Crop: Mia Celebrates Minnesota’s Iconic Tradition with New Crop Art Exhibition

Exhibition highlights prize-winning works from the State Fair and reframes the boundaries of artistic expression

June 18, 2025

Minneapolis—This September, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) will bring a uniquely Minnesotan art form to the museum. “Cream of the Crop: A Minnesota Folk Art Showcase” opens September 6, 2025, in Mia’s Rotunda and runs through September 28, 2025, and honors the intricate and community-rooted tradition of crop art.

The exhibition will showcase highlights from the Minnesota State Fair’s crop art competition, including:

  • • Two winners of Mia’s new crop art awards:
    • ◦ Best Interpretation of an Artwork
    • ◦ Best Interpretation of a Minnesota Landmark, Story, or Figure
  • • Eight additional pieces selected by Mia’s curatorial team and museum director Katie Luber

“I’m excited to see Mia continue its embrace and celebration of folk art with this exhibition,” said 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 product of our state, and we all appreciate seeing a Minnesota art institution recognizing our work. The artists who enter the crop art competition each year bring incredible talent, wit, and dedication. It’s great to see their work recognized beyond the Fairgrounds and showcased in a museum setting.”

Crop art, a meticulous craft using seeds, grains, and other plant materials, combines visual precision with personal and cultural storytelling. Artists work exclusively with Minnesota-grown materials, such as glossy black flax, red sorghum, wild rice, lentils, and mustard seeds, crushing and sorting them to achieve surprising levels of detail, color, and texture.

“Where else but Minnesota can you find masterpieces made from mustard seeds and wild rice?” said Matthew Welch, Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Deputy Director & Chief Curator at Mia. “Crop art is clever, meticulous, and unmistakably local. By bringing it into Mia, we’re celebrating the remarkable skill and ingenuity of these artists who are inspired by the bounty of America’s heartland.”

In addition to the exhibition, Mia will host events that include:

  • • A hands-on crop art workshop for adults, led by acclaimed crop artist Marta Shore
  • • A public conversation with artists and curators exploring the intersections of folk, outsider, and institutional art

Visitors will discover finely detailed artworks and personal stories from the artists, as well as a historical look at the evolution of crop art from an agricultural pastime to a celebrated form of creative expression.

Whether you’re a lifelong fair-goer, a curious newcomer, or simply seeking to explore the beauty of seeds-as-medium, Mia’s crop art exhibition offers a joyful, thought-provoking experience rooted in place, history, and imagination.

Exhibition Details

 For more information on this and other upcoming exhibitions, visit www.artsmia.org.

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About the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Home to more than 100,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) inspires wonder, spurs creativity, and nourishes the imagination. With extraordinary exhibitions and one of the finest art collections in the country—from all corners of the globe, from ancient to contemporary—Mia links the past to the present, enables global conversations, and offers an exceptional setting for inspiration. Learn more about Mia in our latest Impact Report.

General admission to Mia is always free, but some special exhibitions charge a nominal fee.

For more information, call + 1 612 870 3000 or visit www.artsmia.org. Everyone is welcome. Always.