An unusual collection of clothed creatures is being assembled this afternoonon Iowa State University’s central campus. Some 350 scarecrows were built bystudents as an assignment for a “Creativity” class. The scarecrows are in avariety of positions, many of them in theme settings.Professor Bill Boon teaches Landscape Architecture and the Creativity class.Scarecrows are straw-stuffed humanoid mannequins that are traditionally usedin cornfields to frighten away pesky birds. Boon says he thought this projectwould be appropriate, given that we’re on the eve of October.Professor Boon expects at least one set of scarecrows that depict the recentblockbuster horror movie “The Blair Witch Project,” among other novelties.Boone says the project was inspired by the theory of vernacular design — adesign which symbolizes a specific place, in this case, a rural Iowa field.The display will be up just through the weekend.
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