(Plant Lesson)
Anonymous
Found 02/2016, Goodwill (2222 and Lamar)

For a time, the Museum’s unofficial title for this piece was “The Rejection of Broccoli,” after the way the artist had tucked the green, amorphous shape into the corner, separated from the edible fruits by an arrow. The artist’s intent is still unclear. The piece seems to imply a connection between fruit, flower, and tree, but lilies are ground-growing flowers. At most, the connection seems to be “these are all plants,” and the tree/arrow combination seems to misdirect the viewer into attempting to form a stronger connection.

In a sense, this guessing-game encapsulates the experience of a child’s education, and the pedagogical style of the piece underlines this. The process is rigged, one cannot guess the one true answer without turning to the back of the book.