REGINA – A Regina museum hopes to soon be the home of a shimmering, fragile tribute to Canadian farmers.
The Regina Plains Museum has launched a fund raising campaign to buy The Glass Wheat Field, a work which consists of 14,000 transparent wheat stalks made by a Saskatchewan artist.
As well, the board of directors wants to raise enough money to build a new facility.
Jacqueline Berting of Cupar began the wheat field in 1991 when farmers were suffering through low prices and bad weather. She wanted to give farmers “the hope, encouragement, inspiration and motivation I received growing up on a farm.”
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So she took glass rods, oxygen and an acetylene torch and transformed the glass into glimmering stalks of wheat sitting in a heavy metal base.
“It expresses the fragility of agriculture economics, but shows the beauty and spirit of farming,” she said in 1992.
Since its completion, the wheat field has been either on display or in storage. Calvin Miller, development officer at the museum, said the unique art deserves a permanent home.
The museum’s focus through the years has changed from preserving pioneer history to one more centred on the history of Regina.
But Miller said the wheat field still fits the museum’s direction.
“We know farmers have played a big role in developing the city and in contributing to our collection.”
The museum, now located in downtown Regina in the old post office and city hall, is raising money to build a facility in time for Regina’s centennial in 2003.
The goal is to raise $1 million – enough to buy the wheat field and pay for the building.
People can donate toward a single stalk, a back 40, (five stalks,) a quarter section (10 stalks), a half-section (50 stalks), a section (100 stalks), or a township, (250 stalks.) Each stalk sells for $100.
Contributors don’t get to keep the stalks, but anyone who buys a quarter-section or more will receive thank-you gifts of various types.
As well, all contributors will receive a plastic bag to collect soil from a meaningful place, such as the old family homestead, to be used around the base of the stalks.
Both contributors and the place where the soil came from will be recognized as part of the display.
