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Corn Zone
One of the Figge Art Museum’s most popular works of art, Michael Meilahn’s Corn Zone will be on view in the ground floor orientation gallery from April 29 to September 18, 2011. The blown glass installation consists of spectacular oversize blown glass ears of corn, in a variety of shapes and colors, all suspended from the galley’s ceiling.
Meilahn is both a farmer and an artist. The exhibition is about the fragility of glass and about genetic modification which consciously and unconsciously molds Meilahn’s life and work. Museum patrons can experience a glass “corn field” and experience the story of corn, its production, and agriculture from the artist-farmer’s perspective, elements of which can be seen in three massive video projections which accompany the installation.
“An ear of corn, in my world, is the point of convergence. That point just happened to my careers, farming and art. Corn is not the usual tool to convergence. Lines, rows, numbers, higher prices, lower prices, color spectrums, mapping, information technology, air masses, hybrids, and species commonly lead to convergence; but, corn has unwittingly been the catalyst” says Meilahn.
The exhibition is accompanied by a short video interview with the artist along with scenes of the artist at work in field and studio. Watch a video about Meilahn working in his studio on pieces for Corn Zone.
The multi-media installation Corn Zone was a gift to the museum in honor of Thomas Gildehaus, former board president, interim director and trustee.
Thursday October 31st