10 crop artworks to catch at the Minnesota State Fair

Sixty years ago, crop art graced the walls of the Minnesota State Fair’s Agriculture Horticulture Building for the first time. Today it’s a tradition and a not-to-miss experience.

Every crop art submission ― art made entirely from Minnesota seeds ― gets into the show, unless it’s deemed not family-friendly.

This year’s show includes a record of 451 crop artworks, the majority of them made by Minnesotans, but some from across the country.

“Crop artists tend to work out of love and respect,” said Marta Shore, the fair’s assistant superintendent of crop art.

People want to share joy and what makes them happy, Shore said. But they also express what’s on their minds — including some of the more difficult issues on global, national and state levels.

Six crop artists honored assassinated DFL House Leader Melissa Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their dog, Gilbert. The golden retriever was humanely euthanized after being gravely injured in the shooting in June.

“It’s nice to have a memorial in a very uniquely Minnesota way,” said fairgoer Erika Pazian, a Minnesotan who now lives in Washington state.

“I was deeply affected by everything that happened, and so I love that she got front and center stage here,” Frucci said.

Crop artists didn’t shy away from political critiques, taking on President Donald Trump, immigration, local politics and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Other artworks referenced the State Fair, famous artworks, historical markers, celebrities and many family pets.

Here are 10 not-to-miss crop artworks at the State Fair.

Katherine Erickson of Duluth took a seedy approach to the 1994 movie “Speed.” Her crop art parody is expertly made and hilarious. Keanu Reeves has been turned into “Beanu Reeves” and Sandra Bullock’s last name is “Burdock,” a type of root. Plus, what’s funnier than a bus flying out of a cluster of seeds?

Many crop artists reference the Minnesota State Fair, but few marry crop art and fine art in a tasteful yet goofy way. In “Venus at the Fair,” St. Joseph-based Stephen Saupe replaces the god Zephyr and his wife, the nymph Chloris, with a cow and a llama.

It’s impossible to forget Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s contentious meeting with President Donald Trump in February. Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful and ungrateful. Crop artist Nicholas Rindo of Minnetonka recalls that moment, adding the message: “Resist Fascism.”

St. Anthony-based crop artist Jill Carey celebrates the monarch butterfly. It is not just a butterfly ― it is Minnesota’s state butterfly and has been for 25 years. Carey used a remarkable amount of unusual seeds in this artwork.

Minneapolis crop artist James Buhler celebrates Aretha Franklin in this delicately crafted artwork. He details the many colors in her shirt. No easy task.

Amanda Cashman reimagines Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock print “The Great Wave” in seeds. In fact, it’s so good that it’s easy to mistake it for the real thing.

Fifty years ago, the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior. All 29 men onboard died. At the time, it was the largest ship to have ever sailed the Great Lakes, carrying taconite, a variety of iron ore, from Duluth to Detroit.