The Farm to School mural on the City of Wing’s City Hall speaks to the longtime pulse of rural communities, their robust local gardens, and how these feed neighbors and schools and supply roadside stands. All of this reflects North Dakota’s strong agricultural heritage. We recognize we are on Indigenous homelands, of whom were the first farmers in the region, pioneering seed saving and employing the 3 sisters method of agriculture. The arrival of European settlers and immigrants altered the agricultural landscape. They got to work establishing farms using agricultural practices learned from where they came, and modifying those practices as needed. This mosaic of diverse agricultural ways are reflected in this mixed media (painting and mosaic glasswork) mural of a garden.

This mural is a local reflection of the national importance of our region, the Northern Plains National Heritage Area. Our lived-in landscape has and continues to produce beets, cabbage, wheat, tomatoes and corn for our region, the nation, and the world. The pollinator plantings within the mural highlight the fact that food grows because of the busywork of pollinators. This is food security, regionally and nationally. Artistic murals such as this allow viewers to pause and reflect. Through this we are reminded we all are a part of something bigger, and that the health of our region and the nation is contingent on the health of what we deliberately cultivate and grow. Thanks and congrats to all partners on a collaboration for rural enhancement, economic development and heritage tourism.