Overview

Agrarian art and literature are about humanity's relationships with the land. Historian Richard Scheuerman's Harvest Hands: Reapers and Threshers in American and Modern European Art and Literature explores this theme through the work of painters, writers, collectors, and others across the past five centuries. Scheuerman organizes evidence of vital grain harvests being the reliably unifying experience for the wellbeing of civilization. The act of harvesting gives the participants a spiritual bond and understanding of obligations to care for each other and Mother Earth. No matter the differences, such as race, ethnicity, religion, rituals, place, and time; this book shows how harvests have nurtured and sustained various cultures throughout modern history. Insightful, eloquent, honest, and hopeful, Scheuerman's work shows that, through the process of land stewardship, harvest does more than feed our bodies: harvesting in harmony with the land also nurtures the heart and soul of mankind. This book reminds us that our care for natural systems is essential to supporting our spirit as well as our populations and should not be taken for granted.

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9798989134304

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Reviews

""This book is the first comprehensive scholarly study of modern agrarian art and literature and is almost encyclopedic in content. Written by an exceptional educator, Harvest Hands also features very extensive and useful appendices, endnotes, and bibliography. It is an invaluable resource for those of us interested in exploring this recently designated genre. Anyone wishing to start or expand a collection focused on any aspect of this art and literature should have this book."" -Mark L. MosemanCo-Founder, Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, David City, Nebraska ""Richard Scheuerman has examined a vast realm of agrarian art and literature found throughout the United States and wider world. Much of this writing and such visual expression depicts the nobility of rural life amidst trying circumstances and brings to mind moral obligations of stewardship and benevolence. Fostering a greater sense of heritage and public service has led to renovation of space for art galleries and museums in rural communities as well as for local and county library expansions. Great art and literature encourage these important initiatives and renew agrarian vitality in this day of flat worlds and virtual connections. Seeking insight and inspiration from the images and stories in Scheuerman's remarkable ""Harvest Project"" series wonderfully serves these worthy endeavors."" -Alexander C. McGregor President, the McGregor Company, Colfax Washington

Author Information

Raised on a farm between the rural Palouse Country communities of Endicott and St. John, Washington, Richard Scheuerman is professor emeritus of education at Seattle Pacific University following a thirty-five-year career in public and private education. He holds degrees in history, Russian, and educational leadership and has written several books and articles on agrarian themes including Harvest Heritage: Agricultural Origins and Heirloom Grains of the Pacific Northwest (Washington State University Press, 2013). Scheuerman is a recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education, the Robert Gray Medal for contributions to historical scholarship, and the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. He and his wife, Lois, reside near Richland, Washington.

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