Agnes Denes; Wheatfield—An Inspiration. The Seed is in the Ground; Courtesy of Agnes Denes, Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, and Tinworks Art
Art Engages Gallatin Valley’s Agricultural Heritage
Beautiful is the power of a seed to produce verdant buds that spring up through heavy snow. Equally so are waves of grain ripening beneath a clouded sky. Tender is the moment of slicing through a caramelized crusted bread, and so too is the time spent sharing smiles with friends.
For the 2024 season, Bozeman art gallery Tinworks Art is presenting Lay of the Land, an exhibition featuring an ecological artwork by Agnes Denes and work by five artists inspired by the land. A literal wheatfield planted at 719 N. Ida Ave., Denes’ piece is titled Wheatfield—An Inspiration. The Seed is in the Ground. (To learn more about this installation, read “Seed in the Ground: An Outdoor Art Installation Sparks Conversation with Wheat” in the Spring 2024 issue available at ediblebozeman.com.)
In September, Tinworks Art staff, volunteers, and students from Montana State University’s Plant Sciences Department hand-harvested the 1.5-acre wheatfield. Participants took home wheat from the harvest to serve as a memento of Denes’ installation, to plant in solidarity and to perpetuate the cycle of planting hope as envisioned by the artist.
This fall, the art gallery is collaborating with Wild Crumb to use the flour to make bread available for sale as well as to be distributed throughout the community in partnership with the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. This full-circle process is meant to bring community together.
In what Denes describes as “planting seeds of hope” at a time when Bozeman is experiencing rapid growth and change, the Tinworks team worked with volunteers to tend the field this summer. For Tinworks Art Director Jenny Moore, weeding the field, observing visitor interactions, and drumming up conversations with passersby has been an emotional experience.
“There were so many evenings when I’d be in that field thinking about Agnes, thinking about her commitment, and her optimism for humans to do better and that we can creatively solve many of the problems that we’ve created for ourselves by being communal and community oriented and just putting in the time and the hope,” Moore says. “I’m just so grateful to her for bringing ideas like that into the world.”
For the team at Wild Crumb, partnering with Tinworks has been equally powerful. “Seeing the source of our ingredients has helped foster a stronger connection to the products we make,” says General Manager Kelsey Ludin. “Our bakers can appreciate the journey from field to table, which enhances their understanding and respect for the raw materials they work with. Integrating art into food encourages innovation and creativity. This can inspire local chefs and artists to experiment and push boundaries, leading to new culinary trends and artistic expressions that enrich our community’s cultural landscape.”
In addition to Wild Crumb offering bread made with Wheatfield flour, Tinworks will have mills onsite so community members who participated in planting in solidarity can mill their own wheat.
Tinworks Arts’ 2024 exhibition series is on view through October 19 with open hours Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additional events, such as a continuing speaker series this November, will be listed on the gallery’s website at tinworksart.org.
