Gay Marriage Seed Art at the Minnesota State Fair

There’s lots to see and do here at the Minnesota State Fair. And most importantly, eat: It’s before noon, and already I’ve sampled the (allegedly) world’s smoothest ice cream, a Norwegian delicacy called potato lefse, and a mini donut. But the coolest thing I’ve seen so far is tucked away in a small room in the agriculture building: seed art. Minnesotans have painstakingly employed a variety of common seeds—flax, lentils, poppy, adzuki, millet, and sunflower, to name just a few—to create incredibly detailed artistic masterpieces. The themes are many: cute animals, aphorisms, and affirmations of Minnesota pride abound. A bunch have political messages; this November there are two controversial measures on Minnesota’s ballot: a gay marriage ban and a voter identification requirement. Here are some of the ways that fair entrants expressed their opinions on these matters:

And here’s a detail:

This one’s in the style of Maurice Sendak’s famous children’s book Chicken Soup With Rice. But look closely:And a detail:And another:

Paul Ryan, in seeds:A voter ID piece:

A nice use of lentils:This one’s from the kids’ division. To me this wolf looks like a Roz Chast character. Save the endearlingly neurotic wolves!

Artist credits: Gnomes by Jill Schaefer, Minnetonka, Minn.; Chicken Soup With Rice by Laura Melnick, St. Paul, Minn.; Mario Brothers by Mark Dahlager, St. Paul, Minn.; Paul Ryan by Kimberly Cope, Minneapolis, Minn.; Jim Crow by Elana Dahlager, St. Paul, Minn.; Occupy by Patricia Mack, Minneapolis, Minn.; Save the Wolves by Olivia Wenner, Shoreview, Minn.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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