Boulder and Longmont are teaming up to host a new exhibit that explores the relationship between art, agriculture and land in 2023.
The planned “agri+CULTURE” exhibit will include exhibitions at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Longmont Museum and at three farms: Ollin Farms in Longmont, Milk & Honey Farm in Boulder and the Boulder County Agricultural Heritage Center in Longmont.
“Our hope with this exhibit is that people will visit BMoCA, the Longmont Museum and our three satellite farms to fully experience this deep collaboration between artists and farmers in all of its locations,” says Kim Manajek, the Longmont Museum’s director. “Our land is art, and this art is land.”
The project is funded by a $45,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The federal agency is awarding more than $26.6 million to 1,125 projects during its second round of grand funding for arts projects for 2022-23.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts and cultural organizations throughout the nation with these grants,” says Maria Rosario Jackson, the NEA chairwoman. “The arts contribute to our individual well-being, the well-being of our communities, and to our local economies. The arts are also crucial to helping us make sense of our circumstances from different perspectives as we emerge from the pandemic and plan for a shared new normal informed by our examined experience.”
All told, some 15 local, regional and national artists will partner with farmers in Boulder County to create new works that “highlight the vast experiences that encompass farming in the Front Range.” Artists who will be participating so far include Libby Barbee, Nicole Banowetz, Margarita Cabrera, DesertArtLAB, Futurefarmers, Victor Yañez-Lazcano, Patrick Marold, Dylan McLaughlin, Mia Mulvey, Sarah Sense, Sam Van Aken and Jessica Zeglin.
The exhibit is slated for June 8-11, 2023.
“BMoCA has been developing the concept for this exhibition for many years, and we are thrilled to partner with Longmont Museum and the NEA to make this concept a reality,” says David Dadone, BMoCA’s executive director. “The exhibition will foster collaborations between artists and farmers that will lead to new works of art that inspire all members of our community to think about our relationships with the land in new ways.”
