Through a SoMinn LENS

Growing up on a Redwood County dairy and crop farm, Audrey Kletscher Helbling worked with animals daily. She fed the bovines and especially loved feeding calves. She remembers her calf, Princess; the cow named Bambi; the mean bull, Cactus. Her rural upbringing continues to influence her creative work. Find more of her writing and photography on her blog, mnprairieroots.com.

These goats attracted plenty of admirers at the Valley Grove Country Social, rural Nerstrand.

Oh, how we

ouranimals

They inspire us, comfort us, keep us company, provide for us. They are animals. Whether furry or feathered — and yes, birds are animals — creatures integrate into all aspects of our lives. I grew up with animals. Farm dogs and farm cats. A herd of cows. Steers, heifers and calves. All held a function on the farm. Dogs guarded. Cats caught mice. The Holstein cows provided milk and income. Beef cattle fed our family. I mostly learned not to develop an emotional attachment to any farm animals, although I admittedly failed.

Today, decades removed from the farm, animals are absent from my personal life except for the occasional feral cat prowling my Faribault yard or the incessant barking of a neighborhood dog. I appreciate the meandering, mousing cats, although I didn’t when my kids were growing up and we had a sandbox.

Nearly everywhere I venture, I encounter animals. In parks. At breweries. At outdoor concerts. Along walking trails. People love their pets. They are important parts of families, providing companionship and meeting emotional needs with unconditional love and acceptance.

Animals also inspire art. I’ve observed that throughout southern Minnesota. Inside galleries. On playgrounds. In logos and advertising. In thrift store finds. Even in cemeteries. There’s something undeniably appealing about animal art, whether oil on canvas, acrylic on hardboard, watercolor on paper, sculpted and more. The cuteness factor in art, especially, reinforces the love we humans have for animals.

Wiggling their way into our individual and collective hearts, animals connect us. And that is, perhaps, their greatest gift. For a moment or ten, differences disappear as we pause to pet a dog, stroke a cat, admire adorable animal art... 

In Northfield, “the city of colleges, cows and contentment,” The Contented Cow serves up food, drink and entertainment.

Animal statues adorn gravesites at Milton Cemetery in Dodge County.

Faribault artist Julie M. Fakler, who specializes in animal portraits, painted “La Fonda” from Squash Blossom Farm for her “Southeastern Minnesota Farm Animal Portraits Exhibit” several years ago. A curious and friendly horse, next to Milton Cemetery in Dodge County.

Rascal welcomes visitors to Aspelund Winery and Peony Gardens, rural Kenyon.

The Owatonna Arts Center featured a past exhibit, “Crochet in Translation,” by freelance artist Malia Wiley of Lake Crystal. The exhibit showcased her oil paintings paired with crochet, including “Preparing the Den.”

A menagerie of animals live on the Spitzack Farm, rural Faribault. Vintage animal playground equipment displayed as art in Janesville.

Signs like this, posted on a picnic shelter in Kasota, are common when a pet goes missing.

ABOVE: At the Used-A-Bit Household and Furniture Shoppes in Northfield, shoppers can find animal knick knacks to add to their collections.

FAR LEFT: Creative vintage advertising displayed at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show, rural Dundas.

LEFT: The art of Eydelin Leon Ruiz, a second grader at Roosevelt Elementary School, shown in a student art show at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault.