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

It’s that time of year again, when the Minnesota State Fair, also known as The Great Minnesota Get-Together, offers one last summer hurrah. Take a break from the frenzy of food, crowds and rides and browse through thoughtful artwork from fellow Minnesotans at the Fine Arts Center.

“The art show is a snapshot of what’s on the hearts and minds of Minnesota artists,” said Jim Clark, the fair’s fine arts superintendent.

Clark, who viewed all the submissions, said what he saw the most of was the color blue, not specific themes or events. Coincidentally, the show opened Aug. 19, the first day of the super blue moon.

Here are the top 10 artworks to see this year at the fair, presented in no particular order.

See it for: Great drawing ability

This hyperrealistic depiction of a woman grabbing her face and then a colorful cartoonish insert with the letters “WTF” is a reference to the 2016 film “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” starring Tina Fey as a war correspondent in Afghanistan. Points for attention to every detail.

See it for: Soothing glimpse of nature

The Dakota name “Imniza Ska” refers to the white cliffs along the Mississippi River in St. Paul, and that’s exactly what this carefully detailed watercolor panorama painting portrays.

See it for: The magic of timed exposure

The sun appears as a stream of lights streaking across the sky. While high-shutter-speed photos shot with an iPhone capture pictures in less than a second, this camera stayed open for 183 days straight. Time is in the eye of the camera beholder.

See it for: Thought-provoking conversations

Artist Meagan Marsh Pine’s (they/them pronouns) powerful self-portrait explores the politics of camouflage, blending in, hiding and what it means to be visible. Military camouflage patterns usually tend to help one blend in with the natural surroundings, but in this photo Pine, their face painted green and their chest showing top surgery scars, very visibly sticks out. What does it mean to be trans or nonbinary in a world that caters to the gender binary?

See it for: Colorful characters

Kittock’s painting looks like it’s been plucked from a murder mystery dinner party game, with each character looking as suspicious as the next. Have fun pondering whodunit.

See it for: Quirkiness

Imagine if ice cream was delivered on skateboards, a rainbow grew from the top of your head and pink unicorns sprouted from your shoulders. That’s the gist of this kooky sculpture that shouts “Have fun at the State Fair!”

See it for: Textures

This visceral vase oozes body parts, like rows of fingers, jagged mouths and teeth, and empty eyes and orifices. If vases could talk, would they shout like this?

See it for: Politics and science references

Republican Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. president, signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. This curious painting offers items that appear to cool you off, like a fan and watermelon slices (also a contemporary symbol for Free Palestine), yet the thermometer reads hot and giant horseflies buzz about. How hot is it? The Coolidge effect is also a scientific term referring to the nonmonogamous mating behavior of males in rats, sheep, rams, guinea pigs and golden hamsters.

See it for: Sci-fi or real life?

This sculpture of a futuristic half-human half-metal-robot character with no legs or arms, wings sprouting from its head and an orange container for a body makes one wonder about the future of our planet.

See it for: Color

Collier uses vibrant colors in her work, often referencing what she sees as “internal visual language held in the emotional body.” There’s something dreamy and unknowable in this felt abstract work that makes you want to touch it, but also drift away with it.