Waukon artist Val Miller to be featured in unique outdoor exhibit, "Grassfed"

Waukon artist Valerie Miller of (Steel Cow) Gallery in Waukon will be part of a unique event featuring some of her latest artistic creations displayed in a very natural setting. Saturday, May 4, Miller will present jumbo prints of the Ancient White Park Cattle of Heritage Farm at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah in an outdoor exhibit entitled "Grassfed," which will be displayed among the very subjects of her artwork.
In conjunction with the Preservation Plant Sale being hosted by Seed Savers Exchange May 4 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Miller's eight-foot cow prints of Ancient White Park Cattle known as Diane, Molly and Lina, along with 12 of their closest bovine friends, will be placed in the fields and grass along a walking path meandering along streams, valleys and hills of Heritage Farm. Diane, Molly and Lina are paintings of the rare Ancient White Park Cattle currently being preserved at Heritage Farm at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah. These cattle roamed the British Isles over 2,000 years ago and have white coats, horns with black tips and black ears, noses, eyes and hooves.

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN
In addition to Miller's "Grassfed" outdoor display, Saturday, May 4 will also give area youth a unique opportunity to contribute to that exhibit. Kids of all ages are invited to help Miller paint an eight-foot image of Lina that Saturday, anytime between the 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. timeframe for the exhibit's May 4 kick-off event.
Kids are welcome to join Miller in taking their turn at helping to complete the eight-foot print of Lina, but all children must be under parental supervision to take part in the painting project. There will also be a kids coloring contest and coloring sheets for the kids to be creative with.

TALKING TREES AS WELL
An additional outdoor display will complement Miller's exhibit, as a “Talking Trees” sound installation by Brooke Joyce from Luther College in Decorah mixes the sounds of nature with composed music. The project will provide a walk through the forest that mixes composed music with the natural sounds like rushing water and birds chirping. The type of music and sounds being played will vary according to the time of day and atmospheric conditions.
Music created by composers Brooke Joyce and University of California-San Diego composer-in residence Harvey Sollberger will be featured in the project. There will be four or five canopies placed along a trail at Seed Savers Exchange, each equipped with four speakers powered with solar panels and battery energy.
In addition to the Preservation Plant Sale that May 4 date that kicks off the above exhibits, Seed Savers Exchange staff will also be on hand during the event to answer gardening and seed saving questions.

ALL MONTH LONG
Both “Grassfed” and “Talking Trees” will be on display at Seed Savers Exchange throughout the month of May. The facility's Lillian Goldman Visitors Center is also open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and during weekends, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
These exhibit events are free to the public. Located six miles north of Decorah, Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the preservation and distribution of heirloom seeds. Seed Savers maintains a collection of thousands of open pollinated varieties, making it one of the largest non-governmental seed banks in the United States. For more information, go to www.seedsavers.org.