[Image above] Michael Meilahn stands next to some of the glass corn used in his Primordial Shift exhibition about genetic food modification. Credit: Milwaukee PBS, YouTube
As we noted in our stained-glass trilogy that published on CTT in April 2024, stained glass is to architecture as poetry is to writing: it is the category of composition that gives viewers a different and deeper appreciation for things compared to other genres.
This statement can apply to glass more broadly as well. The material’s lasting nature means it can serve as a time capsule into lesser-known parts of history, from the evolving industries of nail art and fragrance to the musical interests of the U.S. founding fathers (here and here).
Glass can also be used as a medium to engage with difficult topics, such as understanding the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic and offering a way to handle the grief resulting from so many losses.
For farmer and artist Michael Meilahn, he uses glass to explore the history of a topic that is very contentious in modern times: genetic food modification.
Born into a Wisconsin farm family, Meilahn originally entered the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to study agriculture. However, after realizing agribusiness was not his passion, he switched his major to art, which introduced him to the world of glass blowing. He subsequently spent a quarter abroad in Germany working with glass legend Erwin Eisch, considered a founder of the studio glass movement in Europe.
After graduation, Meilahn volunteered with the Peace Corps and spent a year in Bolivia learning the agricultural traditions of indigenous cultures. He then returned to the U.S. and earned an M.S. in art from Illinois State University.
Meilahn finally made his way back to the family farm to work the land. But he also built a studio there so he could continue glass blowing as time allowed.
According to Meilahn’s website, his interest in genetic food modification began in 1996, when he planted his first genetic seed on the farm. Since then, his artwork has focused on genetic modification because it “has symbiotically shaped his life and work, both as an artist and a farmer,” the website states.
This interest culminated in the creation of Primordial Shift, an exhibition that explores the history and implications of genetic engineering through 32 hand-blown glass ears of corn. Meilahn chose corn as the focus because “corn is broadly iconic these days in terms of food, agribusiness, and culture,” according to his website.
Since 2022, the Primordial Shift exhibition has been touring around the U.S. with stops at Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass (Neenah, Wis.), The John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science (Houston, Texas), and South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University (Brookings, S.D.). The next stop will be Rochester Art Center (Rochester, Minn.) from June 1–Sept. 30, 2025.
Learn more about Michael Meilahn and the Primordial Shift exhibition in the video below.
