If you’re somewhat familiar with Minnesota, you’ve probably heard of its State Fair. When I was young, the fair only brought fried fatigue on a sweaty stick and the dreaded start to a new school year. As an adult, I have now come to appreciate the flurry of new foods and the hunt to find them all on the massive fairgrounds. This year, while I felt personally let down by the highly anticipated Hmong Corn Dog, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite parts of the fair which will never make the must-see list: the student artwork.

The student “exhibit” is a massive display of hundreds (to thousands?) of artwork submitted by K-12 students across the state. It’s always chaotic and completely lacks intentional curation but over the past few years I’ve found a feeling there I can’t find anywhere else. It’s the attention the young artists pay to details–the glimmer of white light on the tops of oranges, the contrast of varying shadows across different forms–and the confidence in their hands while manipulating some of the most unforgiving mediums that kept me enthralled. I kept exclaiming, “oh my god, a sixth grader made that?!” I also could not help feeling a tickled relief that in the midst of diminishing attention spans and fine motor skills, students are still choosing creative engagement, to interact with and explore themselves, to test the limits of their dexterity, and reimagine the physical world they occupy.

But more than their talent and age, in the presence of the students’ work I felt again this shared novelty of self discovery and the exhilarating moment when a passion is realized.This literally made my eyes dilate with dopamine.

As I reveled in this display, I recalled the first time I encountered the potential for my own creativity. In my third grade science class, we were tasked with drawing the anatomy of a flower, referencing images from a textbook. As we neared the end of classtime, I stared in disbelief as a near replica of the flower emerged from my own hands and pencil and took form between the lines of my wide ruled spiral bound notebook. I felt like a magician and my magic was intoxicating. This wasn’t necessarily the moment I fell in love with art, but it was the first sounds of the most beautiful visual language I now became obsessed with learning to sing.

The gallery of student work are those beginning notes to the choral arrangement that envelops me with the richest nostalgia. As I look at their work, I imagine myself among these students, and I hear played back to me the composition of our emerging artistic curiosities. I join them in feeling the relationship to our hands as we familiarize ourselves with the weight of the brush and the bodies of paints, and the battle with our eyes as they fight to wrap themselves around the intricacies of 3-D organic forms that we’re struggling to translate onto 2-D planes. While these students’ visions and technical skills are far from fully realized, it’s the rawness of their connection to art that gives me the warmest inspiration. Only within their work am I reminded of the utter alchemy of creativity and to be able to feel it again in its purest, most innocent of forms is a powerful nostalgia.

As much as I’ve lauded these students above, I would be remiss to not include notable works from the main (adult) exhibition. I felt really amazed by the talent that thrives across the state.

A brief tribute to Yayoi

While fully acknowledging her racist past, I still want to pay tribute to Yayoi and her art. Derived from a dark childhood and deep trouble with mental health, her art created literal spaces for awe, joy, and whimsy to be held and shared as a grand spectacle. As controversial and complicated as she was, the message I carry from her work is simple: even in the tiny confines with which we are forced to exist, there is still a profound ability within us to build infinite magic.

From the notebook

The making of a logo. I absolutely hated this process. Call me not a graphic designer.

WIP

Sharing the failures to keep me humble.

Media Musings

‘Odyssey’ Translator Emily Wilson: Nolan should’ve hired a screenwriter - I have yet to see the movie, but I loved hearing about Emily’s absolute fanatical obsession with the Odyssey. While I can’t share her love for classical studies, I am somewhat envious of her fully realized passion that powers her purpose.
6 Feet Under in Art Coffins That Are Over the Top: August oddly brought a lot of deaths both big and small, so this article seems timely. End of life brings a slew of complicated emotions and heartbreak, but I can’t help finding levity in these fun, brightly colored coffins. Maybe I have some ideas swimming around for my own one day…
An Expert on Conflict Says Your Relationships Are Doomed Without It: Not really inspiration for creativity but because relationships are everything, here is a kind reminder to embrace conflict!

Upcoming

Come check out the debut of OBANG House of Hues this month! And be sure to follow on Instagram! Website coming soon.

Sept. 19 from 10-6pm: Bloomington Street Arts Festival at 9Mile Brewing
Sept. 26 from 5-8pm: AK Connection Chuseok Festival at East Side Neighborhood Services

August whereabouts

MOA never disappoints
Forever chasing waterfalls
Pensive baby
Remembering the beauty of Lake Superior
The end of a matriarch
OBSESSED with the ceramic wins
State Fair indulgence