COVID-19 MSF Fine Arts Exhibition

The 109th annual MSF Fine Arts Exhibition will go down as a one-of-a-kind art show because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s show can be viewed by taking a video tour or by limited in-person viewing. Social distancing and masks are required for entry and attendance is limited to 25 percent of the exhibition hall’s capacity.

1,718 works of art in eight artistic disciplines were entered this year and only 346 were accepted for the exhibition. Margie Troupe and her granddaughters, Daniela Del Mastro and Anna Troupe, pose in front of her acrylic oil painting, “The Way We Were”, of an old motel sign somewhere out west. She said the sign was later taken down and is now part of the Native American Museum in Washington DC.

Tony Purdy poses with his son Jessie, who encouraged his father to enter this year’s exhibition. Purdy’s entry, “Aftermath”, is a richly saturated photograph of the burned out Minnehaha Liquor Store in the rain. The beautiful presentation of his artwork has the photograph printed on clear acrylic and raised from the frame’s backing board to give it depth. Purdy said he couldn’t sleep so at 5AM he went to the corner of Minnehaha Ave and E. Lake St. and stood in the center of the intersection to make his photograph. There are several other pieces of artwork that were inspired by the aftermath of George Floyd’s death that along with the COVID-19 pandemic gave a one-of-a-kind theme to the 2020 exhibition.

Here’s a link to the video tour & virtual catalog: https://www.mnstatefair.org/competitions/fine-arts/