Every other year the Fermentation Fest (created by the Wormfarm Institute) in Sauk County Wisconsin hosts an outdoor art tour on local farmer's land, called the "Farm/Art DTour".

This self-guided excursion showcased four "Password Poems" - delivered in the style of the old Burma Shave ads: one line per sign, read as one travels along the country roads.

Hundreds of poems were considered for the 2022 DTour, and what you are seeing was one of the four selected poems, written by me, Sandy Swanson, the owner of 2142 Asbury Avenue. 

You might see me in the warm months tending to the gardens on this property or gearing up to ride my motorcycle. Please stop by to say hi if you do see me, and, I hope this poem helps to brighten these gray winter days!

Click here to see the poem installation as it was featured on the DTour on County Hwy O in Sauk County, Wisconsin.

From the Wormfarm Institute's Farm Art DTour website:

Thousands traveled the DTour from October 1-10, 2022

"This fall, thousands of rural residents & urban visitors 'came to their senses' and came closer to the land we all depend on. They traveled the Farm/Art DTour: a self-guided excursion through 50 miles of scenic farmland in rural Sauk County, with trailheads in Plain and Sauk City, WI. Along the way, they saw artwork inspired by the land, heard songbirds and pasture performances, smelled fresh-cut hay and campfires, discovered a country churchyard or roadside poetry around the next bend in the road, and enjoyed an abundance of local delicacies."

More about the Wormfarm Institute:

"Wormfarm cultivates connections between our rural and urban neighbors through art, food, and the land. We do this by investing in our cultureshed:

1. A region irrigated by streams of creators and producers, fed by deep pools of human and natural history and nourished by what is cultivated locally.

2. The efforts of artists, farmers, chefs, scholars, writers, performers, and community organizers who contribute to a vital, diverse local culture."

"Just as the word culture is embedded in agriculture, so is cultural expression embedded within our landscapes and livelihoods. A cultureshed is similar to the agricultural concept of terroir in which products grown in an area reflect its unique geography, geology and micro-climate. To foster the development of a strong, regional culture, Wormfarm creates, sponsors, and hosts artist-led projects that engage the surrounding community.

"We believe the power of the arts brings to the sustainability conversation the complexity and context the subject requires. For thousands of years, farmers in cultures around the world interwove dance, music, and art through rituals of planting and harvest in celebration of the land, soil, and those who care for it. Through a contemporary approach and within this timeless context, we continue that tradition."

"The Farm/Art DTour has gone from regional novelty to a model for the emerging world of curbside culture. It took the restrictions of a pandemic to show what DTour visitors have known for many years now: the form has wheels. Already there have been drive-by shows staged on the East and West coasts. Having participated in one in LA, I can say that the difference is that of layers, of depth. Viewing art works outdoors is one thing; a DTour through the land and season is an altogether more poignant experience.” - Dan S. Wang, artist & curator