Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has announced the artists for its first juried crop art exhibition, "Cream of the Crop," opening September 6, 2025. The exhibition features winners and honorable mentions selected from crop art entries at the Minnesota State Fair. Jeanne Morales won best interpretation of a Minnesota landmark, story or tradition with "My Chagall Dream," while Amy and Steve Saupe won best interpretation of an artwork at Mia with "The Treachery of a Pronto Pup." The selections were made by Mia director Katie Luber, associate curator Galina Olmsted, and associate curator Leslie Ureña. Honorable mentions include works by Jill Osiecki, Jill Moe, Amanda Cashman, and Ursula Murray Husted.
The exhibition matters because it elevates crop art—a hyperlocal Minnesota tradition rooted in mosaic, beadwork, and embroidery—to a major museum platform, bridging folk craft and fine art. By juried selection from the State Fair, Mia acknowledges crop art as a legitimate artistic practice worthy of institutional recognition, potentially inspiring broader appreciation for seed-based art forms and their intersection with art history.