The first time I saw The Wizard of Oz, I thought Dorothy must be daft. Leave the Emerald City, the winged monkeys, the outrageously fashionable footwear, for what? A yard full of grey pigs and a hatchet-faced neighbor who wants to kill her dog? The girl must be stark-raving mad.
Growing up in a dog-loving family on a small farm in rural Southwest Ohio, I found enough surface similarities between my childhood and Dorothy’s that I balked at the thought of returning to the Midwest when escape was an option. If there were a portal to Oz through the Midwest, you could bet your sweet bippy I’d be on the first tornado into Munchkinland with my little dog in tow. Alas, Dorothy and I hail from different sides of the Midwest. Tornadoes never blew through my town, and frankly, the Gales’ Depression-era prairie core never jibed with the industrial decay that characterizes the Eastern Rust Belt where I grew up. The region overlaps with but is distinct from the Midwest, encompassing Ohio, parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, and extending around Lake Erie into Pennsylvania and New York. Think Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit. Port cities with a bright future, once.
For as long as I can remember, people have argued over where the Midwest begins and ends. Some say the Dakotas are fair game (they are), while others insist that Pennsylvania qualifies (it's debatable), or even extend it to include West Virginia (not a chance). Some regions in this country—the West Coast, the Southwest, the Mountain States—are clearly defined, while the boundaries of the Midwest have always been amorphous. For the purposes of clarity, our June exhibition, Midwest Nice, includes artists and work from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The work spans the South Dakota plains and the Rust Belt, swoops down to the Ohio River, then rises upward toward Detroit and the Great Lakes. We’ll also stop in the improbable architectural mecca of Columbus, IN, before heading east into Chicago, before it’s all over. So buckle up, slap on some sunscreen, and pee now because there’s no telling where the road will take us once we get going.
View Midwest Nice via the button below, then scroll through to read about the artists, works, and themes featured in this exhibition.
The Myth of the Midwest: Cowboys, Landscape, and Manifest Destiny
In many ways, the Midwest embodies the quintessential American myth: be nice, work hard, and you shall inherit (or steal) the land. The belief that European settlers were destined to expand westward across America gained immense popularity during the 19th century, particularly with the passage of the Homestead Act, which granted Americans access to millions of acres of previously uncultivated land in the plains. During this period, the Midwestern landscape came to be viewed as a character or entity, a concept that South Dakota artist Epiphany Knedler explores in her trio of mixed-media works: “American West,” “Home (After Dunn),” and “Nothing But Flowers.” Her artwork reflects a deep connection to the philosophy of Manifest Destiny, the exploitation of land, and the idea of westward expansion under the guise of progress.
While the grassy plains and pioneers depicted in Epiphany’s works are iconic symbols of the Midwest, there is actually more diversity in this region than many people realize. Justin Tyler Tate used found materials and local wood to make “Mushhouse,” a semi-permanent architectural installation that explores the rural Michigan landscape and encourages the growth of edible mushrooms. More than 300 miles away, fiber artist Claire Krueger gathered bits of plastic from the Ohio River to create “Drippy Stag Cake,” a geologically inspired textile that opens a dialogue about the relationship between the land and the materials we use.
There’s No Place Like Home: Nostalgia and Small-Town Life
One of the best things about growing up in the Midwest is the simple pleasures of small-town life: swimming in the creek, making mischief, staying out all day until dark without supervision. Midwest kids are famously adventurous and independent. Remember Tom Sawyer? He’s one of ours. So is fiber artist Kaylie Kaitschuck, who grew up in Dearborn, MI, and studied at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her playful textiles, “Fell in Love With a Scarecrow” and “Take Me to the River” (pictured), perfectly capture the mixture of youthful innocence and rebellion that characterizes Midwestern youth.
In some cases, the small-town setting serves to critique broader American values, as seen in Mark Twain's works, particularly Tom Sawyer and, more notably, Huckleberry Finn. Here, the seemingly wholesome backdrop of small-town life contrasts sharply with the ugly realities of conformity, materialism, xenophobia, and racism, ultimately exposing the deeper lies that underpin the American Dream. This exploration of hidden truths seeps through Jane Waggoner Deshner’s hand-embroidered photograph, “Margaret, Mouseketeer Ears #7,” which is part of her XStitch Series. Growing up in Kansas, Jane recalls, “I would go to sleep every night wishing I could be a Mouseketeer, though I didn't sing, dance, or act.”
Similarly, Jesse Enger’s photograph “Daddy Straw” creates a space for queerness within the confines of a tiny Wisconsin bathroom. Here, Enger’s imagery invites viewers to reconsider the norms associated with small-town life, shedding light on the often-overlooked narratives of identity and self-expression.
Industrialization: Detroit, Chicago, and the Rust Belt
The Midwest is often jokingly referred to as “flyover country” by coastal bigwigs who can’t be bothered to stop for a hot dog in Chicago or a slice of ’za in Detroit. These culinary staples represent more than just regional favorites; they embody the culture and community spirit around food that connects people. This theme of food and its role in social interaction is mirrored in Alexis Gil’s collage, “Betelnut Girls Precinct in Michigan,” which explores the complexities of femininity and cultural expression through the lens of another edible delicacy: the betel nut.
Elsewhere, Bryony Roberts’ installation “Soft Civic” embodies the architectural ethos of Columbus, IN. By integrating colorful, woven structures into the City Hall's entrance, the installation reflects the region's commitment to civic engagement and community interaction, much like the modernist buildings that define the city's landscape. These structures, crafted from textiles and inspired by domestic spaces, resonate with the Midwestern values of warmth and approachability, contrasting with the more formal and ornate styles of the past. Similarly, street artist Bunnie Reiss channels the historical architecture of Detroit in “Detroit Synagogue” (pictured). By merging past and present, Bunnie’s work pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of the city while transforming public spaces, much like Bryony’s.
Kaitlyn Smith’s video works, "Lights Out" and "Shuttered," encapsulate the narrative of industrialization and decline that defines the Rust Belt. Her exploration of abandoned buildings and automated factories serves as a metaphor for the forgotten dreams and lost livelihoods of communities that once thrived on manufacturing. In these pieces, Smith uses a stark black and white aesthetic to evoke feelings of nostalgia while confronting the viewer with the scars of industrial decay. Hers is a more modern vision of the Midwest than Epiphany Knedler’s, one that connects the past with the present, revealing the complex story of this land and its enduring spirit.
This feature has been edited for length and clarity. All images published with permission from the artist(s); featured graphic: David Schwartz.