Plain, Wisconsin

“The Giant Farmer of Plain” was produced in collaboration with Kramer Brothers Construction Co, in Plain Wisconsin, as a part of the Worm Farm Institute’s biennial FarmArt DTour Festival, in which multiple artists are embedded in communities along a 50-mile loop through the driftless region of SW Wisconsin. Working with the Kramer Bros. carpentry and metal fabrication teams and the Town of Plain council, we conceived of an “homage to the farmer” as a way of honoring the human history of the area and the land on which it depends. Using Millet’s famous classical painting: The Sower, as our inspiration, we created a 20-ft-tall marionette, as an expression of the dignity and nobility of the human figure, the farmer, moving across the landscape, nurturing the land. In these divisive times, it was refreshing to come together around shared values, and uplift the labor and dedication of those who work so hard to draw sustenance from the land. And simultaneously, celebrating the local culture of builders and fabricators that live in the community and work together at Kramer Brothers, constructing amazing buildings and bridges (and now a puppet!) throughout the region.

Many communal and collaborative hands went into the creation of this piece.