I couldn't wait to see the exhibition at the Kemper Art Museum on the Wash U campus titled, "Seeds: Containers of a World to Come."
I googled “seeds” and the first thing that popped up were quotes about seeds. Robert Lewis Stevenson said, "Do not judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant" and Albert Einstein said, "Keep on sowing your seeds for you never know which will grow, maybe all will grow."
I then entered the museum to see an incredible mind and eye opening exhibition. Curators of the show, Meredith Malone, Curator of the Kemper and Svea Braeunert, Research Associate of Design at the University of Applied Sciences, Potsdam, Germany say, "Together the artworks on view suggest the seed as a timely means to address existential matters. Seeds are the first link in the food chain, the embodiment of biological diversity and cultural heritage and the repository of life's future evolution. Cultivated by humans for millennia, seed varieties carry with them local histories as well as narratives of migration and survival, bridging cultures, territories and time periods. The diversity of seeds and associated ecological relations are at risk due in part to the development of high yield crops and monocultures since the mid-twentieth century.
A couple of examples of the works are: Salvadorian Beatrice Cortez's "Chultun El Semillero" which comprises two large, hand-built steel structures connected by a narrow tunnel. The forms evoke futuristic space capsules while also recalling ancient underground structures called chultunes. Made by the Maya of the lower Yucatan Peninsula, chultunes are huge storage vessels carved in the rocky ground that were used as cisterns for drinking water and as food cellars. With her sculpture, Cortez creates a speculative chultun, preserving seeds for the humans of the future.
Our own Juan William Chavez presents "Survival Blanket (Decolonize the Garden from Seeds to Bees).” This commissioned artwork is the newest edition in Chavez's ongoing series of “Survival Blankets,” floor based assemblages that typically include an assortment of plants, seeds and other objects arranged atop a mylar blanket. For this iteration Chavez includes a small textile that reads "Decolonize the Garden/"Seeds to Bees" which sets the intention for the work.
I left this exhibition on a very high note and headed to the Pulitzer Arts Foundation to see the work of Veronica Ryan titled "Veronica Ryan: Unruly Objects." Ryan is a Montserrat born British sculptor. She grew up in London and won the Turner Prize for her poetic work. I was surprised to see that her work also was about seeds, plants and life cycles.
One of the first works in this exhibition was entitled "Untitled" and is among Ryan's first sculptures and an early example of her extended engagement with fruits, seeds and pods. Here a plaster sculpture that curls at the ends like a dried up pod contains six open compartments. Sunken inside are abstract bronze forms resembling organic elements like seeds and body parts. The protective shell curves around these elements, which could be emerging like growing buds or settling into dormancy. In Ryan's work, plant life appears at various stages of development, embodying life cycles, moments of transition and mental and physical states.
In her work "Territories," a drawing merges different types of containers--seedpods and boats--into one vessel. Here Ryan explores her long-standing interest in drift seeds, which have evolved to float for thousands of miles along ocean currents, eventually reaching shores where they propagate new life. This process of relocation and adaptation can serve as a metaphor for Ryan's own displacement as a Caribbean-born British artist who lives between the U.S. and the U.K. Drift seeds in Ryan's work also allude to histories of global migration including the violence of the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th to 19th centuries, as well as present-day diasporas, in which large groups of people live away from their traditional homelands.
When I asked curators Stephanie Weissberg and Tamara Schenkenberg if there was a connection between this exhibition and the Kemper exhibition, they both said it was co-incidental.
And to make things even more serendipitous, the next day I went to the Missouri Botanical Garden and visited an exhibition titled "Kernels of Culture: Maize Around the World" at the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum within the garden.
Nezka Pfeifer, Curator of the Sachs Museum, writes, "Where did the grass species Maize we know and enjoy come from? Maize has a complex story from which we are continuing to reap the benefits of every day. It begins thousands of years ago with the first indigenous farmers of Mexico and Central America who selected these plants continuously, domesticating the kernels of teosinte (seeds) --the acknowledged wild grass ancestor to maize--to the corn ears we grow and use today. The story continues with the Spanish and other European colonizers who brought maize to other parts of the world where it was quickly adopted in the 1500s growing to become one of the top three cereal crops globally. Our knowledge of maize has grown from the work of botanists who have spent many years untangling the origins of this crop, including those who are working on the genetic possibilities of this complex grass species into the future.”
This incredible exhibition featured the works of several artists.
Venezuelan multidisciplinary artist Waleska Font presents "The Sacred Crop," a vibrant exploration of the profound cultural and spiritual significance of corn in Pre-Columbian Latin America. "The Sacred Crop" begins by embarking the audience on a journey to the Inca Culture with "Inti Raymi." This piece captures the essence of the festival dedicated to the sun god, Inti who was revered for life-giving power, essential for the growth of corn.
Intertwining her roles as citizen, scientist, artist and papermaker, Megan Singleton presents us with a new body of work investigating the connections between an innovative pioneering woman in corn science, Barbara McClintock, and the brilliant beauty of Hopi Zea mays (maize). In 2023 the Missouri Botanical Garden horticulture team at the William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening graciously grew a large plot of Hopi Turquoise and Hopi Purple maize for Singleton to use as material for her exhibition. Seeing the cobs striking color palette of indigo, purple, mauve and blue that contrasted against the warm soft cream-colored husks inspired the artist's desire to showcase the exquisiteness of heirloom genetic diversity in corn plants.
The Anderson-Cutler Maize Collection at the garden houses an impressive historical collection of maize varieties, featuring over 6,400 ears of maize, numerous vials of seeds, herbarium specimens and documentary records.
There are many, many songs about seeds, often taught to children and many religious hymns, songs and verses referring to seeds, but my computer turned me over to AI which describes seeds the best.
“Seeds are tiny, but mighty powerhouses of life, carrying the genetic blueprint of a plant within their protective coating. They come in a fascinating array of shapes, sizes and textures from the smallest orchid seeds to the seeds of hefty coconuts. Inside seeds contain vital resources like carbohydrates, proteins and oils to nourish the plant embryo until it can grow roots and leaves to sustain itself. Whether dispersed by wind, water or animals, seeds are the starting point of countless eco systems. Seeds are nature's marvels, compact, yet brimming with potential for renewal or growth.”
I never thought about seeds in such a way and these three exhibitions opened new doors in my sometimes lazy brain.
Nancy Kranzberg has been involved in the arts community for more than forty years on numerous arts related boards.