When the last grain elevator in Meacham came tumbling down in 2021, Meacham based artists Bonnie Gilmore and Charlie Farrero took that emotional experience and channeled it into creative works of clay that found their way into an exhibition. “The Meacham Elevator” is on now at the Humboldt and District Gallery, and on Wednesday evening, August 14th, the two artists shared their passion for the prairie sentinel and talked about the exploration of the experience through their art.
The artists share a ceramic studio in the shadow of the once imposing elevator. The remaining rubble of wood resulting from its demolition in 2021 was carted off to a burn pile outside the community. The artists shared a sense of loss and separation, but a creative element was sparked and new works that reflected on the heritage of the Meacham elevator emerged from that rubble.
For Bonnie Gilmour, the event caused her to reflect on the historical practice of seed storing as a hedge against hard times and harsh conditions.
“Civilizations throughout history have stored their seeds and grains in abundant years in order to carry a community through the lean years,” Gilmour reflected during her talk. “I recall a story about a Mayan civilization who had the means to store their corn for up to eight years. When times were good, the bins were full. Then the droughts came. The community they were storing for was nearly one million strong.”
Through that innovation, farmers continued to grow, store and market grain, eventually evolving in North America to the grain handling systems of the 20th century. With consolidation and larger volumes handled by concrete terminals, the extensive network of elevators and communities, often six or seven miles apart on well-travelled rail lines, began to thin.
The majesty of those elevators was captured over the years by photographer Greg Raskob. His collection of elevator shots was donated to the Humboldt and District Gallery on his death, and some of those images form a backdrop to Gilmour's and Farrero's works on display.
Charley Ferraro is a prairie transplant from Paris who has spent many years in Meacham and the surrounding areas. He recalled the multiple elevators in Meacham, now all razed to a bare horizon.
“It (the remaining elevator) was my companion, a kind of sentinel, so that when you would drive into Meacham, you would see it and say ‘oh, I’m home,’” Farrero mused. “In Paris, we had the Eiffel Tower; in Meacham, we had the elevator. It was important to me. You’d look at it and listen to the crows and the owls on top.”
The harbouring of birds and wildlife became the basis for some of Ferraro’s clay pieces that reflected both the sense of haunting loss and an element of whimsy and nostalgic humour.
Gilmour’s pieces incorporate both her clay artistry, but also artifacts and pieces recovered from the elevator’s demolition, including windows treatments, metal backdrops, wood remnants and remains of tools. The golden wheat kernels became a recurring motif, captured in clay representations as a nod to our prairie heritage.
Guests at the opening and talk remained after the presentation to share their thoughts and experiences growing up with the omnipresent prairie buildings, discussing changes in the perception of landscape in the wake of their removal.
The exhibition continues until September 20.