03/17/06 Artist-Farmer Exchange

Washington Ag March 17, 2006 Grand opening activities are scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, at the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington for an exhibition called "Sustaining Change on the American Farm: An Artist-Farmer Exchange." It is a joint venture between the museum and American Farmland Trust. Don Stuart of AFT arranged for artists to spend time with several farmers and ranchers around the Pacific Northwest. The artists in turn used different forms of media to capture and convey the stewardship practiced by these farmers. Stuart: "For me it is all about trying to get the message out about agriculture and in particular with this exhibit to get it to people who might not otherwise hear it. Who might come to an exhibit like this because they are just interested in art but maybe not necessarily thinking all that much about farming and to get people who aren't conscious of agriculture all that much thinking a little more about what farmers do and why they are so valuable." Stuart says it may be one of the craziest projects he's ever tried but if the works of art spark a conversation about today's farmers, and how communities can work together to preserve an agriculture that will sustain us into the future, then it will be a project he's glad he pursued. I'm Bob Hoff.