It all started with cows, serenely lying on beds of grass. In Michigan Pasture with Cows, painted in 1914 by Mathias Joseph Alton, swirling clouds complement chilled-out mamas and a calf, an idealistic expression of a day-to-day cow’s life. You can see this work, and many more from different mediums and widely distinct styles, at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, now through July 27th, at their newest exhibition, Farmland: Food, Justice and Sovereignty.
Dalina Perdomo Álvarez and co-curator Teresa Fankhänel set out to celebrate Michigan State University’s 170th year of agricultural tradition with an exhibition on food justice. From Michigan Pasture with Cows, they then looked to other works from MSU’s collection to add to the showcase such as a barn model, and invited other artists to participate, such as Ambigous Standards Institute, featuring a commentary on egg sizing and the everyday egg carton. Farmland includes both local viewpoints, such as multidisciplinary Michigan artist Jamie John, and artists with a global perspective, like Cooking Sections, a London-based duo that “puts the culture in agriculture.”
Connections to the Land at Michigan State University
‘Go green!’ may be something regularly shouted in East Lansing, but its meaning can be applied to more than just sports jerseys. From MSU’s roots as a land grant institution, the culture of the college and campus is food-forward. “Everyone here develops a green thumb”, explains Perdomo Álvarez, noting how she often hears faculty discussing their gardens. She also notes that the Student Organic Farm, a 15-acre hands-on farming experience for students, has a significant impact on the organization’s reputation. When Perdomo Álvarez spoke to Michigan farmers during the creation of this exhibition, that was a common connection point.
Notably, the showcase looked to the new 3 Sisters Garden led by student and Tribal Fellowship Project Assistant Mikayla Thompson, which was installed at the Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center this past year. This garden is grown using the culturally significant method of interplanting corn, beans, and squash, as well as sometimes a fourth sister represented by amaranth or sunflowers. When entering the exhibition space at the Broad, there is information about the treaties for native land in the elevator, including that which paved the way for the institution, inviting the viewer to consider Michigan’s farmland origins and today’s implications for indigenous futures.
Sovereignty and land justice are themes that repeatedly emerged in the creation of Farmland. One notable piece, co-curated by the Justice League of Greater Lansing, comments on the displacement of Black families and business owners caused by the construction of Highway I-496. Artist Mila Lynn honors the neighborhood paved over in her work, commemorating and reminding the viewer of the implications of the loss, and the subsequent inability to grow food. “This is something that the community still grieves,” adds Perdomo Álvarez, “It represents the Black community’s connection to this land.”
Visit Farmland: Food, Justice and Sovereignty at the Broad Museum
The Broad Museum will show Farmland: Food, Justice and Sovereignty through July 27th, and will host many ways to dive deeper through Artist Talks, Family Days, and monthly collaborations with the Beal Botanical Garden. Perdomo Álvarez recommends the Artist Talks with Michaela Nichelle on March 12th and the Ambiguous Standards Institute on April 2nd as can’t-miss opportunities to further explore this theme.
“Food, farming, art, and land are all connected.” says Perdomo Álvarez “We went to show the existing cultural connections – we didn’t have to try too hard.”