Sowing love: The seeds of grief honor Melissa Hortman

State Fair crop art pays tribute to Rep. Melissa Hortman

Out of 450 pieces of crop art at the Minnesota State Fair, at least five are tributes to Melissa Hortman, the lawmaker who was shot and killed back in June in a targeted attack.

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Just two months before the mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School, Minnesota dealt with the assassination targeting the state’s Democrats.

Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed and in response, her friends and fans used art to move through their grief.

The art of grieving

Seeding the emotions:

Out of 450 pieces of crop art, at least five are tributes to Melissa Hortman.

Some of them include her husband, Mark, and her dog, Gilbert.

Artists told FOX9 the main goal was just to work through their emotions.

"Crop art in Minnesota is ultimately about celebrating agriculture," said Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha, a crop art veteran who enlisted help to make a piece honoring Hortman. "So all of the pieces here are made out of crops that grow in Minnesota."

"You don't need anything except Elmer's glue and toothpicks and beans, and you can do it," said Rep. Athena Hollins, who picked up crop art from Blaha three years ago. "And so I did."

"It's a celebration of what's good about Minnesota so it makes perfect sense to be celebrating Melissa Hortman here as well," Blaha said.

Sowing love

Artistic choices:

Rep. Hollins and some of her colleagues in the state House placed second in their category with a seeded version of Hortman’s legislative photo and a message close to her heart.

"I chose 'Sow Love' because it was a part of St. Francis of Assisi's prayer, which was revealed at her funeral, she kept folded up in her purse every single day," Rep. Hollins said. "And I thought, if that was what she was aspiring to, that's what we should all aspire to."

"I think when things are tough, art can really be a way to come together, express your grief, build some unity, and really process things," Blaha said.

Meditating on Melissa

Emotional results:

Working on the crop art was like a meditation for the artists, letting them sort through their emotions and their memories of Melissa Hortman.

And seeing the finished product could be emotional as well.

"It just really struck me in my heart," said Terri Schalesky, who was visiting the fair from Blaine and feared up after seeing Rep. Hollins' piece. "I'm glad it's at the end of the display, but that's just the icing on the top of the cake."

"It means a lot to hear from people that they love it," said Hollins. "And I think it means more to me that they are thinking about Melissa and her legacy and what she brought to the state of Minnesota."