Wander Minnesota: State Fair Crop Art

The Minnesota State Fair got off to a great start last week, and there's still a week left if you didn't make it opening day. If you're planning to attend, keep in mind that the fair is celebrating two big anniversaries this year: Ye Old Mill is 100 years old, and the Crop Art exhibit just turned 50.

If you've never seen it, crop art (found in the Ag Building) is the art form that involves the use of seeds in a mosaic style. Specifically, seeds used in crops grown in Minnesota — no weeds allowed, and think wild rice, not white rice.

The most advanced versions of this tend to be very intricate and have to involve hundreds of hours of painstaking work.

This annual exhibit at the Fair tends to draw sizable crowds, and no wonder. It's really an all-encompassing tradition, with everything from very serious, labor-intensive pieces, like the one above, to more tongue-in-cheek pieces, like the one below:

Or just something whimsical.

Fair-themed pieces are always fun.

Other Minnesota attractions get attention.

Newer parts of Minnesota's culture are represented too.

And of course, this is a great source for pop culture, in this case a tribute to Leonard Nimoy's Spock:

It's not often you see Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Not far from Breaking Bad's ultimate bad guy, Walter White.

So if your plans over the next week include a trip to the State Fair, be sure to visit the crop art, only 50 years young.

What else is happening in our state? Be sure to check out the 10 p.m. Tuesday night WCCO newscasts, where you can learn more in the weekly segment, Finding Minnesota.