Millions of people have seen the beautiful, bountiful rolling hills of Iowa, thanks to the paintings of native artist Grant Wood. A state legislator is helping launch a project designed to introduce young people to how art can play a role in agriculture.
Representative Helen Miller of Fort Dodge says the Art in Agriculture program will help to preserve an important piece of Iowa’s heritage.
“There is an etiquette that happens with farms, there’s a way of life that happens, things are done for a reason,” Miller says. “My goal is to explore that, beginning particularly with children and then move on and spread it through the adult culture and hopefully, we can get a new look, a fresh and better look at agriculture.”
Miller says the program is in the early stages, with plans for a conference this fall. “In the middle of October, I want to do an Urban Ag Academy for kids,” Miller says. “We will focus on four areas, the visual arts, the drama, the music and the movement, and we’ll hopefully get a model that’s replicable that can be used over and over.”
A website is dedicated to the effort. Learn more at: www.urbanagacademy.com
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City