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Public art project by Shoshana Brand, Nebraska City, Nebraska

I was invited by the KHN Center for the Arts in Nebraska City to spend two weeks in their facility. I created there a project titled "I Took a 100 Empty burlap sacks Around Nebraska City".

I bought a 100 burlap sacks and asked the company to ship them to Nebraska City. There, in the art studio in the KHN Center for the Arts, I applied numerous layers of white glue on the 100 empty burlap bags, sculpting the fabric with my hands to form an open container. When dry, the sacks seemed filled up, while actually they were empty. I took the sacks around Nebraska City, displaying them in eight public areas and in one local private farm. The installation caught the eye of passers-by who stopped for a conversation. In doing so, they became a part of the project. I documented the sacks and the people on film, slides and video footage.

I was seeking to introduce new visual elements to a familiar landscape. I found out that not only that the sacks had changed the sites on which they were placed but that the sacks by themselves on their expression and concept had constantly been evolved. Placed at the shore by the Missouri River the sacks became exciting vessels filled with a spirit of adventure; On the stairs of the 1868 building of Farmers Bank they contained golden coins; By the corn fields they held the crop of a long working day in the sun; By the farm of Cathy and Jerry Smith they became a food source for the cattle; and by MRB Lewis and Clark Visitor Center they were ready to be placed inside the boat to sail in search of exotic lands.

This project will continue in 2007. The photos, video and the actual sacks will be permanently displayed in the Agricultural Research Center in Nebraska City.