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72th Annual Steele County Art Exhibition
May 4–25
opening reception: sunday, may 4, 2-4 pm
Sponsored by Federated Insurance

Steele County has many good artists, and for 72 years they have shown their creative works. The Arts Center is fifty and we invited current artists and artists who have shown in the past display a piece as well. Come and enjoy seeing works by new artists and enjoy some pieces from the past.

Crop Art - Lillian Colton, Linda Paulsen, and Kim Paulsen
May 4 – 25, 2025
Opening Event: Sunday, May 4, 2-4 PM

Crop art is one of the main attractions at the Minnesota State Fair, Lillian Colton, one of Owatonna’s own, is a posthumous honorary exhibitor. Her legacy is carried on by her daughter, Linda Paulsen, who has been exhibiting at the State Fair for 55 years, Linda’s daughter, Kim Paulsen, also carries on the family tradition of creating seed art. Seeds are used to create a portrait or a landscape, thus, the artistic name Crop Art. The Smithsonian Institution is hosting an exhibition of State Fairs and will have crop art from Lillian Colton and Linda Paulsen on display. For further information, check out this website: https://lptv.org/local-show/common-ground-hackensack-crop-artist-linda-paulson/

Lillian’s Legacy

Lillian Colton inspired her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in creating crop art pictures. While in competition from 1966 to 1979 she inspired many others who viewed her work at the Minnesota State Fair to create pieces of their own.

She raised the bar for the competition. From 1980 to 2006 she demonstrated the art at the Minnesota State Fair and for many years at the Steele County fair showing how it could be done, giving tips and encouraging people to try their hand at it. She was very enthusiastic about crop art and passed that on to others. She gave willingly and did demonstrations to groups and showed her work at events, museums, and The Owatonna Arts Center. She not only showed seed art, but also other mediums. She did commission work by making pictures for people of a celebrity, their loved one, whether being a human or an animal. Many people still have her work to treasure. Since her death in 2007 the fair has had a variety of Lillian’s crop art pieces on display each year during fair time. She is still inspiring people and bringing joy to many fair goers.

Gallery hours are 1-5 pm, Tuesday through Sunday.