2013

Art in the Public Realm: Rural Edition

By Hygienic Dress League

The first of ten barn art projects, “Walden” and “American Gothic” was completed in 2013 by art duo the Hygienic Dress League (HDL) - also known as Steve and Dorota Coy. The two-sided mural lives on a barn on Ziel Farm, located on the corner of Stoddard and Van Dyke Road. “Walden” can be seen from the road and is meant to mimic the kind advertisements that used to appear on barn sides. Perhaps the more controversial of the two, “American Gothic” can be found on the opposite side of the barn and depicts two subjects in gas masks- a common element found in many public art pieces by the HDL.

Art in the Public Realm: Rural Edition, sits about 250 yards off M-53, towering on a 50-ft barn that is still in use today. The front view is of a now-fading, blue-grey pigeon and the HDL logo — advertising a corporation that proudly provides no products or services. Those lucky enough to drive around back are greeted with HDL’s take on Grant Wood’s American Gothic, arguably the most spoofed piece of American art in history. Standing with pitchfork in hand are the two main characters in HDL’s ongoing narrative. On them are the gas masks that have become associated with their work.

BARN DONATED BY HANK AND JEANNETTE ZIEL