To the Farmer in All of Us

Contemporary rural space in the United States is impacted by both the real and imagined role of farmers in the landscape. Farming has been conceptualized over time in the United States to promote visually "proper" land use according to antiquated Jeffersonian ideals. Farming as an occupation then has become imbued with a sense of virtue, respectability, and certainly, nostalgia. Through examples in popular visual culture, academic research, and lived experiences in agricultural 4-H, this presentation looks closely and critically at the archetype of the farmer in the United States.

My practice challenges the normative farming myth as it persists today through a variety of materials and products from advertising to printed tote bags designed for use at farmers markets. In this presentation, I look at these examples critically and self-reflexively through my own artistic practice, as I use rosette fair ribbons, dirt, and bread dough as materials. I argue a nuanced and diverse conception of farming is necessary to engage the real and imagined sites where farmers till. Bodies, space, material, and place are constant concerns for farmers and these same concerns are shared with contemporary art practices. They remain constant throughout the gallery, the field, and the 4-H fairgrounds. This realization makes rural perspective essential and formative in defining both contemporary art and contemporary rural space.