Another milestone leading up to the 2022 Minnesota State Fair.
The commemorative art for this year's Great Minnesota Get-Together was unveiled Thursday night at the historic fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.
The work by Minneapolis artist Leslie Barlow shows a multi-racial group of five women enjoying the state fair's Midway.
“I often paint people of color and love our skin tones to be really vibrant and beautiful,” she said. “In this piece, you also see the neon lights from the midway reflected in the faces, communicating how bright and lively the fair is at night.”
The artwork is complete with the popular Starship 3000 ride and stuffed animal prizes for games-of-chance.
Barlow says she wanted to communicate the energy, excitement, and joy the state fair brings every year.
“The fair often feels otherworldly, especially near the midway, with all the sounds, laughter, bright lights and activity. I wanted my work to represent that," she said.
Barlow is primarily an oil painter, and through her work she explores complex social issues like race, multiculturalism, “otherness,” representation and identity.
She has an art studio in the Northrup King Building in northeast Minneapolis.
The 2022 poster, which measures 18 by 24 inches, is on sale now online.
The Minnesota State Fair opens on August 25th, 75 days from Friday.
