Farm to Craft

Curated from Mingei International Museum’s Permanent Collection, this Entry Level exhibition explores the global significance of grains as a source of sustenance and an inspiration to human creativity. Grains such as corn, wheat, rice, quinoa, and oats are dietary staples around the world, their common presence forming important roles across communities and the cultures built around them. From tools used to harvest and process, to containers used to store and consume, each object is an example of how innovative design, borne from a need, and a craftsman’s own artistic eye, intersect to produce clever results. Artisans use straw, husks, chaff, hulls, and the grains themselves to make whimsical figures and fashionable creations, revealing how even the humblest of materials can spark endless imagination.