Museum

There’s a small town of just a few thousand people about 45 miles from here that has an art museum devoted to agrarian art. The bulk of its permanent collection is by an artist who grew up there and whose paintings of rural settings is reminiscent of Grant Wood. I like the style and the vibrant colors he used, and I love seeing the depictions of traditional farmsteads. It’s what farms looked like when I was a kid. Almost none are left. Barns were replaced by metal machine sheds. Other outbuildings—brooder houses, corncribs—are no longer needed.  

The last time I visited the museum I bought a book about the featured exhibits. Blaine saw it during one of his explorations of my bookshelves. He was interested in seeing the museum, so this afternoon we did that.

The drive is pretty, cutting through an area locally known as the “Bohemian Alps” because it was settled by Polish immigrants. The rolling farmland is still brown and rough, but the trees have leafed out. I didn’t grow up on a farm or in the country, but my tiny hometown coupled with spending time with my aunt and cousin on their farm must have been enough to instill a need for open spaces. I mentioned to Blaine that I feel better when I get far enough away from the city and beyond the acreages to be in the true country. He said he does too but rarely thinks to make it happen. Perhaps we can make it happen a few times over the summer. (Typical disclaimers.)

The museum is in an old brick building on Main Street. This is one of those main streets where there’s angled parking in front of the buildings and parallel parking down the center.

Although the space is quite small, it’s easy to spend a couple of hours if you take the time to read the descriptions that accompany the artwork and talk to the volunteer who is there to enthusiastically offer information.

Halfway back home we detoured to visit a state rec area with a lake. It’s a place that’s best for camping and boating, but we might try a day trip with Eve and Paul if they’re interested.

In the area are a lot of organic farms. Some produce artisan cheeses and other products. Most sell through farmers markets and CSAs only but some have small shops at their farms. We stopped at two, one for cheese and another for meat—steaks. Both became part of our supper at Blaine’s.