Adjacent to the gateway into the Innovation Garden at the West Texas Food Bank in Midland, this installation takes cues from the garden activities and the architecture of the education building behind it. This building that forms the backdrop for this site is inspired by the farmhouse pictured in the iconic “American Gothic” painting by Grant Wood. Another source of inspiration that is common in the classic agricultural setting is the wind vane atop the barn. Three elements that resemble shovels form the vertical basis for the artwork – they take on plant attributes in varying ways in the variations presented. These plant characteristics create a sense of growth rising upward in the piece. Their use is a connection to the soil. The shovel reference could also be seen as a connection to the pitchfork in the “American Gothic” painting.
