Minnesotans are celebrating Melissa Hortman — one seed at a time
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Minnesotans are honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman with one of the state’s most iconic art forms: crop art.
17-year-old Charlie St. Dennis worked with Melissa Hortman last summer while he was interning with FairVote Minnesota. He said she always spent time chatting with the volunteers and motivating them before a day of canvassing.
“She had a really strong way of connecting with everyday people,” said the St. Paul resident.
When St. Dennis heard about the assassination and all the events that followed, he said the news felt overwhelming. Crop art was a way for him to destress while creating something that honored someone he admired.
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“I want [people] to think about…all the great things that she was able to do in her time,” said the rising senior at Highland Park Senior High School. “It’s not a piece about her assassination…it’s about her.”
St. Dennis used red lentils to spell out “Hero.” He used millet for Hortman’s face and popcorn kernels for her hair. He also used red onion skin for the shirt, and wild rice for the suit. The background is amaranth painted blue.
This isn’t the first time St. Dennis made crop art to honor important role models. Last year, he submitted his artwork of St. Paul’s first all-female city council to the Minnesota State Fair crop art competition.
“Minnesota, we’re special, we’re different and we have our own ways of showing love and showing affection for people,” St. Dennis said.
Tara Cantwell is also honoring Hortman through crop art. She is currently working on a portrait of Melissa and Mark Hortman and their dog, Gilbert, which she also plans on submitting to the Minnesota State Fair. This will be her third year participating in the competition, and she said each piece is a labor of love.
“It’s an art form that, as you can imagine, is pretty tedious. You’re gluing teeny, tiny seeds onto a board. So it’s for me, personally, really important that I feel invested,” she said. “I hope [my portrait] can be a celebration of who they were and what they meant to Minnesota.”
Last year, Cantwell submitted a portrait of Timberwolves player Naz Reed titled “Naz Seed”. She said some contestants choose to do funnier pieces while others choose to convey a more serious message.
“Knowing everything that the Hortmans contributed to Minnesota, I hope that they would be okay being celebrated and commemorated with art that’s really special and unique and beloved in our state,” said the St. Paul resident.
St. Dennis agrees.
“There’s no more Minnesota way to commemorate the Hortmans,” St. Dennis said. “Melissa Hortman’s story isn’t one that deserves to be forgotten.”
