Top 10 artworks to see at the Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Exhibition

Minnesotans have submitted thousands of artworks from all four corners of the state. Whether it’s a painting of a Texas longhorn or a photograph of a woman grieving, Minnesotans are expressing themselves.

The Minnesota State Fair’s annual fine arts exhibition this year includes 337 works out of 2,834 total entries submitted across eight categories. Painting/mixed-media and photography account for more than two-thirds of the submissions.

While wandering the air-conditioned building, you’ll spot some of the usual suspects: portrayals of nature, people‘s cute pets, farm life, instances of Minnesota pride and history, depictions of the Minnesota State Fair and cheeky Minnesota inside jokes about a casserole vs. a hot dish. Some artists waded into political commentary, while others took photographs of concerts and other things to take your mind off the news.

This year quite a few artworks reference the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and the ongoing effects of the war in Ukraine. And there are two artworks that literally sway with the wind or the air motion in the exhibition room ― a new category, perhaps?

In no particular order, here are 10 works to check out.

This hyperrealistic charcoal and pastel drawing of a woman surrounded by cranes references a tale from Japanese folklore in which a crane tricks a man into thinking it’s a woman so he’ll marry it. It’s also a reference to CJ Hauser’s essay “The Crane Wife,” which went viral in 2019. Either way, this detailed drawing shimmers.

In Roe’s lenticular photograph, a woman dressed in a body suit, her back to the viewer, rests on a hill overlooking a surreal mossy landscape. The image calls to mind references to the body as landscape while also creating something otherworldly.

Gustafson’s photograph captures a split screen of a mariachi band. As three young men play guitar in a dimly lit garage, an older man stands off to the side, playing trumpet. Is he playing from outside or will he soon be joining them? The photograph leaves one wondering, curious.

The carved basswood relief of an older man wearing overalls and clutching a cane is so realistic that from afar it looked like a real person. The detail in this woodcarving makes one wonder who this guy is and where he’s going.

The Zumbrota-based artist’s painting of a man wearing all black, slumped in a chair as plants around him have fallen to the floor or sit on the floor — a dead and tired look in his eyes — references the ubiquitous “This is fine” meme of a dog sitting at a table drinking coffee while his house burns down around him. It’s not fine, but the painting suggests people might be too exhausted to do anything about it.

Wallace’s collage takes viewers into the depth of anxiety-ridden daydreams — fires, someone feeding stray cats, lots of tools flying every which way — calling to mind fears about our world on fire.

From a distance, this looks like a childish drawing of the moon floating in the sky, smiling. But get closer, take out your phone and use the camera to zoom in on various parts of the image. The microdrawings create their own world, with random phrases written throughout, such as “There are no negatives!” “As the world turns…” and “Somewhere out there.”

Detroit-born Minneapolis-based artist seangarrison’s expressive abstract painting calls to mind the feelings of heartbreak referenced in its title. The idea for this painting might have happened in a moment, but the feelings linger on.