Students with prototype of “The Crib” in the College of Design atrium last semester.

Above: “The Crib” site installation at Art Farm Iowa

AMES, Iowa – Fifth-year landscape architecture students from Iowa State University will unveil two new, large-scale art installations at Art Farm Iowa, 4953 Olive Ave. in Northwood. The public event will run from 1–2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18, at the rural nonprofit arts and agriculture destination.

Thirteen Iowa State students developed the concept for one site-specific sculpture, titled “The Crib,” in the “Rural Art. Rural Space” studio class last fall. This spring, seven students from that course enrolled in an independent study to fabricate and install the artwork. Both courses, led by landscape architecture assistant professor Hans Klein-Hewett, explore the intersection of art, rural environments and community storytelling.

“The Crib” is a galvanized steel corn crib that represents the dominance of industrial row crop agriculture in the United States. It is studded with honeycomb-shaped sheet metal panels and colorful wooden birdhouses and surrounded by prairie plants to highlight the vital role of vulnerable pollinators.

The installation recognizes the delicate balance between agriculture and the natural environment, Klein-Hewett said.

“The idea here is that pollinators and agriculture are linked,” said Klein-Hewett. “But at the same time, agriculture has decimated the pollinator population in Iowa, primarily by using insecticides. So, this piece will look at the tension between these two forces and how one relies on the other.”

“Cornnectivity” by Gonzalo Espinoza

‘Cornnectivity’

Fifth-year student and multidisciplinary artist Gonzalo Espinoza, from Houston, will also reveal his solo project, “Cornnectivity,” on May 18. The seven-foot, 3D-printed sculpture, inspired by the interconnection of agriculture and technology, serves as both a tribute to natural creation and a bold reimagining of landscapes through design, Espinoza says.

“This piece challenges the harmony between nature and technology, reimagining how art lives and grows within its environment,” he said.

Both sculptures will be permanently installed at Art Farm Iowa.

Contacts

Hans Klein-Hewett, Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture, hansk@iastate.edu
Gonzalo Espinoza, Fifth-Year Student, Landscape Architecture, gonzespz@iastate.edu
Lauren Johnson, Communications Specialist, College of Design, laujohn2@iastate.edu

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