“Primordial Shift” Reception and Artist Talk
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Celebrate “Primordial Shift: The Art of Michael Meilahn” with renowned glass artist and farmer, Michael “Mick” Meilahn. Explore this immersive exhibition featuring Meilahn’s huge blown glass ears of corn. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with the artist, gain insight into his creative process and explore the intricate interplay of science, agriculture and art.
5-6 p.m.: Gallery reception with Michael Meilahn. Museum Members receive complimentary beverages.
6-7 p.m.: Talk with Michael Meilahn and David Clay, South Dakota Corn Chair/Distinguished Professor, South Dakota State University Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science
Free and open to the public.
The monumental title installation features 32 hand-blown glass ears of corn, each around four to six feet tall, which are suspended from the Museum’s ceiling on cast bronze and blown glass stalks. The ears of corn and are illuminated by a video and audio projection of the artist’s family farm.
An artist and farmer, Meilahn learned glassmaking as a university student in Wisconsin in the 1970s and subsequently participated in the wave that became the American Studio Glass Movement. Through his work, Meilahn crafts a visual dialogue about the genetic modification of corn that invites reflection on humanity’s evolving relationship with nature and the intricate interplay of science, agriculture and art.
