Within the rural farmscapes near Port Austin, in the tip of the thumb of Michigan, sit three barns…read moreconverted into amazing art installations. I had absolutely no clue these were here but my husband is friends with one of the artists and he'd been wanting to check them out for some time now. So, when we were up in the area for a wedding, we spent the following day checking them all out. All three are products of 53 North, a group of artists and curators with ambitions to complete 10 pieces like these in the region. So far there are these three barns and one sculpture (that we did not make it to see). This was the first barn we visited and it was created by Hygienic Dress League (HDL). On one side is the logo for HDL, who, despite being registered as a corporation, provides no products or services. According to their website "HDL uses its status of the corporation as an art medium, serving as a platform for critiquing contradictions in contemporary society through symbolism and public interventions." On the back is a spoof of the famous "American Gothic" piece by Grant Wood, though in their version HDL has them donning gas masks which urges the viewer to think about the the relationship between large corporations, food, consumerism, and profit. The pieces are immense and stunning and absolutely worth of a visit if you're in the area. There's no cost to see these pieces, though this barn, like all of them, is on private property. As far as I know, the owner still does use it (you can also see another storage building and all the working fields around it) so if you swing by (and I encourage you to do so!) be sure to be respectful and keep your distance as this is someone's land and property.