Farming as art: is it worth money?
Is farming an art form? Is that how we can explain crop circles? Cattle brands? The patchwork quilt appearance of the Prairies from the air? The sworls on the calluses of a farmer’s hands?
Help me out here, because if we can make a case for farming as an artistic endeavor, farmers might be able to eke out financing through the Canada Council for the Arts. It won’t be the billions of dollars needed, but as federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief seems to be saying, even a grossly inadequate amount might help.
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The Canada Council has earmarked $10 million for a Millennium Arts Fund competition, and already some of the recipients have made news with the imagination of their projects.
Less well known is the fact that agricultural themes have already figured in a few financial awards to the artsy set.
Association Culturelle Quartier Ephemere du Quebec will get $100,000 “to create a musical instrument using the acoustic properties of Montreal Silo No. 5 grain elevator, to be entitled Silophone.”
It’s such a relief to learn that someone else has realized the dearth of homage paid to grain elevator acoustics.
But surely we can also demonstrate the clear need for an anglophone silophone? As some elevator agents have observed, there’s nothing like the howling of a farmer who shows up when the elevator is closed. Acoustically unique, that’s for sure. That will be $100,000, please.
Another council grant, this one for $24,500, has been claimed “to create sculptures made with recycled machine parts.”
Let us refrain from excess salivation as we consider the number of recyclable parts available on prairie farms. Ten sculptures, simple creations using old steel, haywire and a few spot welds, could pay off that new combine.
Of course, some of the recycled parts would likely have to be liberated from operational machinery, where they have doubtless been cycling and recycling for some time. Presumably that would add to the value.
Just one more – a council grant for $71,900 “to put on a play dealing with big city life, entitled Farce.” Details are scant, but I speculate it takes place in Ottawa, with Vanclief in the leading role. As he announces the latest foray in farm aid, western Canadian farmers repeatedly shout the name of the play.
Then the plot thickens.
