Bev Jackson Cotter, Art Is…

According to my 1911 Britannica Encyclopedia, a pumpkin is “the fruit of the gourd Cucurbita Pepo … varying much in form, being sometimes nearly globular, but more generally oblong or ovoid in shape … it is a useful plant to the American backwoods farmer, yielding, both in the ripe and unripe condition, a valuable fodder for his cattle and pigs, being frequently planted at intervals among the maize [corn] that constitutes his chief crop … smaller varieties are in more esteem for garden culture. When ripe, the pumpkin is boiled or baked, or made into various kinds of pie.”

I suppose if I had searched the word pumpkin online, I would have gotten an entirely different definition, but this one is more fun. Are you wondering, “What does this have to do with art?” The Albert Lea Art Center was overflowing with pumpkins in October. Thanks to Security Bank Minnesota, Larry Alvey’s Pumpkin Patch, and a crew of talented artists, pumpkins were decorated for Halloween and donated to various entities throughout the community.

These pumpkins will not be fodder for cattle or pigs, and they will not be boiled or baked or made into pie. They will bring smiles, chuckles and maybe questions to their observers. And they will certainly provide a Halloween decoration that is unique and fun.

The crew of talented artists was a varied mix of people ranging in age from 8 to 80, and their ideas on decorating are as varied as their ages. These pumpkins are painted with spiders, cobwebs, witches, bats, ghosts, flower gardens, stripes, polka dots, haunted houses and pink-haired scary ladies. Each one is different, and its design is as individual as the painter.

The second Tuesday of each month, from 6 to 8 p.m. an open studio is held at the Art Center. Artists, beginning or professional, can bring art of their own to work on, or they may enjoy the special project of the evening. The gathering is a wonderful opportunity to spend a couple of hours with like-minded people, to learn and to grow in your art experience.

In October the project was pumpkin painting, and the most wonderful designs developed throughout the evening. What I enjoy most though, is the camaraderie that evolves when you bring together 8 or 10 people — grade school children, high school students, and adults of all ages — who have a common cause. During the conversation, one of the adults mentioned having two pictures left on a film and she wished she had brought her camera along. One of the little girls had a puzzled look on her face, and I asked her if she knew what film was. She didn’t have a clue.

That reminded me of the time when an elementary student looked at my rotary dial telephone with that same puzzled look. When I asked her if something was wrong, she replied, “I don’t know how to do it.”

How neat when a common cause brings together people of all ages and interests, and they are able to leam from each other.

For more than 25 years, Security Bank Minnesota and the Albert Lea Art Center have been bringing a bit of Halloween cheer to Albert Lea through pumpkins donated to nursing homes, child care centers and a variety of other locations throughout the community.

Such a simple project brings joy, in so many different ways, to so many different people.

Back to the intro — the Britannica writer was describing farming in the 1800s. I doubt that, even in 1911, the American farmers appreciated the label “backwoods.” I wonder what today’s combines, with global positioning systems, would do if there were pumpkins growing in the corn rows.

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center where the Beth Tostenson watercolor show will be on display through Saturday, Nov. 6.