This past summer and fall, I had a short-term side gig helping out on social media for the
Wormfarm Institute, a nonprofit centered around the intersections of culture and agriculture. Every other year, they host and organize the Farm/Art DTour: a fifty-mile driving route through Sauk County, Wisconsin, with site-responsive artworks, roadside poems, educational/interpretive field notes, and other creative engagements with the rural landscape; it also highlights local farms, vendors, and small businesses in the area. After months of creating hype through social media, it was exciting when the event finally arrived in early October - so I drove the route and revisited different spots several times over the two weekends it was open. (Plus, I also volunteered one day to help set up one of the pieces.) Without further ado, some art/land crossovers!
*Note: all opinions expressed here about any of the artworks, offshoots, or vendors are entirely my own.
October 2: volunteer day for "Preserve"
The roadside poems, which they call "PassWords," were among my favorite things, so I was super excited to "stumble" upon one on my way to the volunteer site.
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| Preserve and its inspiration, the Leopold Shack |
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| the Preserve team: Cathy, Pam, and Shari |
October 4: meetup at Witwen Park
October 5: DTour opening day!
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| (...you're not found...) |
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| first field note |
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| "Earth, Wind, and Sky" |
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| "Threshold" |
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| Veggie Emporium |
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| "Sauk County Ark" |
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| group bike from Tower Rock (visible in the back, just off center) |
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"The World of Alebrije"
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| (not part of the DTour, but I couldn't resist) |
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| rest stop (I loved hanging out in the hammocks here) |
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| "Framework" |
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| (one of my favorite pieces) |
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| "As it is..." |
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| (a returning piece from a previous DTour, I just snapped pics from afar) |
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| "Woven Willow Sanctuary" |
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| now that's what I call site-responsive |
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| "Preserve" |
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| mystery spot (corn crib) |
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| "Rural Constructs" |
I was personally not the biggest fan of "Rural Constructs." (Not so much ethically, though I don't think this piece was meant to be a critical commentary on hunting, which might have endeared me to it in that respect.) My dislike was mostly due to user error - as you may be able to tell from the photos above, the piece was interactive, and visitors could climb a ladder and view the landscape from within it. There was a sign at the foot of the ladder that read "Climb at your own risk," which I took to mean watch your feet and don't slip, so I failed to look up and see a crossbeam running across the opening and hit my head on it rather hard. For the rest of the afternoon (and the next day or two), I genuinely worried I'd sustained a concussion from it. (I've survived long enough to make this post, so evidently I'm fine.) But in any case, it soured my experience for the rest of the day and created a strong negative association with the piece. I intend no hate toward the artists, I just had a bad experience.
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| "Spirit at Jaedike Granary" |
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| "There Be Dragons" |
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| "Lady Corn" |
October 6: chilling at Witwen and exploring offshoots
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| music in the gazebo |
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| Felix B. Sainz, Jr. |
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| pasture performance: the Hay Rake Ballet |
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| tractors pirouetting to opera music |
The Hay Rake Ballet was undoubtedly a fan favorite, judging by the social media and press attention. However, I... have an unpopular opinion on this one, which was that I wasn't particularly wowed by it. I'm in the minority, I know! (Also, having whatever insider information I had leading up to it, I felt a little misled/let down by how it ended up turning out, compared to what it had been advertised as initially.)
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| Timberlake Metal Upcycling |
The guy at Timberlake was super chill, and it was awesome to follow the offshoot and chat with him a bit. Love the upcycled scrap metal sculptures - very Dean from The Iron Giant - even if I will likely never be a homeowner or have a yard to display these types of things in.
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| in the tabernacle |
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| Myra Su |
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| "crankie" puppet show |
October 11: photographing the mezcal dinner
October 12: second Saturday
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| Lady Corn, revisited |
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| back at Witwen |
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| Shawndell Marks |
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| dogs of DTour |
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| storm over the corn |
October 13: DTour with friends
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| foggy morning drive |
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| took my own detour on the way to the art |
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| Cate |
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| Kysh and Sophie at "Threshold" |
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| Freedom Pines Pottery |
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| Lily and Cate doing a coin flip to decide on getting a new plant |
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| Glitzy Garden Art |
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| hay sofa at Veggie Emporium |
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| kernza cast at "Sauk County Ark" |
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| Honey Creek |
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| the Elm Duo in the tabernacle |
