A large-scale temporary art installation called Ghosts will be installed on 42nd Street on Thursday, January 21,

and will be available for public viewing on Friday, January 22. The installation will be on view through March 31.

Ghosts can be seen along 42nd Street, immediately south of the 17th Avenue intersection. Madelyn Camrud and

Adam Kemp, lead artists, invite the public to view Ghosts at any time. However, the work, lit from below, may be

especially compelling when viewed at night on the snowy landscape.

Ghosts features farm machines painted white and positioned on farmland evocative of harvests in the past.

Three machines: a Versatile swather from the early 1970s; a John Deere combine from the 1960s and a 1929

McKormick-Deering threshing machine have been transformed into monumental works of art. The threshing

machine set on a pedestal is the featured piece. Ghosts honors the agricultural industry of the past and

celebrates the farmers of today and the future. The harvest equipment is recognizable but transformed by light

and shadow on the snow-white shapes to project an ethereal image.

The idea for Ghosts began as a small seed planted early this fall and grew into the winter with the help and

cooperation of many people. Madelyn Camrud posed the original concept the fall of 2015 and combed the

surrounding area for farm machines of the past. Camrud invited Adam Kemp to join her as lead artist. Sally

Miskavige from Opp Construction assisted in the conceptual phase of the project.

The combine and thresher were found at Jim Skarperud’s farm west of Buxton. Jim acquired the third piece from

Rick Knudsvig down the road. The machinery was hauled from Buxton to Grand Forks by Mark Peterson,

Peterson Construction Co, Inc. where it was painted by John Haynes at AJ’s Sandblasting & Painting. Sherwin-

Williams donated twelve gallons of paint necessary to cover the machines with 3 and sometimes 4 coats.

Mary Weaver of Browning Arts worked with Adam Kemp to get insurance in place, indemnifying the landowner

before the pieces were set on the land. Adam Kemp created a base for the threshing machine from barn floor

lumber donated by Roger Birkholz and paint from Sterling Siding and Remodeling, the last detail completed for

the move. We thank Mike Pierce for his patience and generosity in providing storage space before the move.

A crew from True North Equipment organized by John Onken transported the machines from Gateway Drive to

42nd Street. The move involved three transports, several vehicles and a forklift to place the machines. NODAK

Electric provided electricity for the project and Roger Birkholz, one of a family that owns the land for the display

site, joined as consultant on lighting equipment. Stef Honi of R & S Contracting completed the wiring necessary

for flood lights. NoDak Electric cooperated as well by allowing hook-up to their transformers.

Ghosts became a project symbolic not only of the past and future agricultural industry, but also of a community

coming together for creative expression. The Ghost Project team is more than grateful for the community

support that made the completion of this project possible. Without the amazing and often donated help from

individuals and businesses the project would not have come to fruition. Viewers of Ghosts conversing and

remembering former harvests will become the final participants in what has been a community team much like

the threshing crews of old.

Ghosts was inspired by conversations with business owners along 42nd Street who wished to see public art

appear on the corridor. The project was also spurred by the “Grand Loop” primary transportation corridors in

Grand Forks addressed in the recently released arts and culture master plan.

Ghosts was made possible by generous support from The Art of Giving (TAG), Bruce Gjovig, Madelyn Camrud,

and Adam Kemp. The project team is especially grateful to the family of the Concordia Birkholz Estate for

lending their farmland, a perfect background for the Harvest Trilogy.

The Public Arts Commission facilitated the production of the work.

Information about the artists and the process for creating Ghosts can be found at www.publicartnd.org.