Brooks: Minnesota State Fair makes space for a bumper crop of crop art

Crop art always draws a crowd.

On busy days at the Minnesota State Fair, the line to see the crop art can stretch through the Agriculture Horticulture Building, past the scarecrows, out the door and onto the fairgrounds.

Somewhere down that line is crop art. Wonderful crop art.

Seeds and beans and bits of plants glued together to create art and jokes and memes and the occasional marriage proposal. It’s beautiful and hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking. And all of it is crammed together on one wall in one room in one building full of exhibits of everything from giant vegetables to live bees.

The State Fair is expecting a bumper crop of crop art this year, with entries up 70% this year compared with last year. If everyone who registered shows up, there will be hundreds more crop art submissions than last year. One wall isn’t going to cut it.

Maybe that’s a sign of the charm, popularity and accessibility of crop art. Anyone can do it; everyone should.

Or maybe it’s a sign that this year, one day before the deadline to register crop art entries, Minnesota’s governor became Kamala Harris’ running mate.

There are some news events — the death of Prince, the existence of Naz Reid — that Minnesotans can only process with Elmer’s glue and an entire bag of beans. Brace yourselves for wall-to-wall Tim Walz.

The crop art space has been refreshed, repainted and reorganized to allow the art to wrap around all three walls of the room and across numerous display tables. Wall-to-wall crop art, no waiting. Or at least, more to see while you wait.

Crop art has always shared the gallery with the Future Farmers of America. The redesign will intersperse crop art with crops — multiple displays of FFA students’ prizewinning corn and soybeans. An exhibit table, inviting visitors to watch crop art being made or try it themselves, will move from a back corner to the front of the gallery.

“We have increased the amount of space for crop art, so you will see it in more spaces than just that east wall,” said Jill Nathe, deputy general manager of the State Fair. “Hopefully, that reduces some bottlenecks. You’re seeing more crop art and you’re seeing more crops. Even when it’s not super-crowded. Although — is it ever not super-crowded?”

Some things will change this year. The best parts of the State Fair never will.

“People will tell you all these ears of corn look alike,” said Ron Kelsey, 84, straightening up from rows of feed corn spread out across long tables for judging. “They don’t look alike.”

Kelsey, the fair’s longtime superintendent of farm crops, has been working for days to prepare for the fair. And he’ll be there throughout, at his usual table next to the crop art, happy to answer questions about corn, crops or his dazzling collection of seed sacks that will be displayed around the gallery space as well. (He has a new one this year. I’ve seen it. It is magnificent.)

There are no photos of the new exhibit space yet. Organizers are saving the surprise for the first visitors through the doors on Thursday, Aug. 22, day one of the fair. Say hi to Ron Kelsey when you get there.