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Today the Minnesota State Fair unveiled this year's commemorative art by 

The piece features a woman with long flowing red hair holding a basket of fresh vegetables and wheat. While the familiar State Fair agriculture building and ferris wheel are visible to the right, the scene is dominated by the Mississippi River in the front, and golden wheat fields in the background.

Related: MN State Fair picks artist Marie Olofsdotter for 2013

Olofsdotter says she was inspired by State Fair posters from the late 1800s that often depicted women involved in agriculture. She says with this piece she was striving to inspire "awareness and establish a loving relationship with the planet Earth.”

Olofsdotter grew up in Sweden, and moved to the United States in 1981. Her style has often been linked to magical realism, depicting animals with human faces, or musical instruments dancing to their own tunes. She says it's something that's always been with her, like a sort of internalized language.

Olofsdotter says she's inspired by artists such as Frida Kahlo, Ana Juan and Irene Hardwicke Oliviere, among others. She's also influenced by the indigenous art of Alaska, and the paintings of Matisse and Gauguin.

Related: Minnesota State Fair unveils 2011 commemorative art

Olofsdotter's painting will be on display at the Fine Arts Center during this year's Minnesota State Fair, Aug. 22 through Labor Day, Sept. 2.

Arts and Culture

State of the Arts Blog

Marianne Combs

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Today the Minnesota State Fair unveiled this year’s commemorative art by Marie Olofsdotter of Minneapolis. The piece features a woman with long flowing red hair holding a basket of fresh vegetables and wheat. While the familiar State Fair agriculture building and ferris wheel are visible to the right, the scene is dominated by the Mississippi…

Minnesota State Fair unveils 2013 commemorative art

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