URBANDALE, Iowa - The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) is promoting Iowa’s flourishing soy industry with a unique new campaign — Soy on Parade. ISA created 20 large, three-dimensional fiberglass soybean sculptures and set out to find the best artists to adorn the beans; the activity was open to any Iowa artist.

One participant is not only an artist but an art teacher too. Tammy Schmitz is an elementary school art instructor at Olmsted Elementary in Urbandale, Iowa. She decided to make her soybean sculpture an art project for approximately 250 of her students, which includes every student in grades one through five at Olmsted Elementary.

“I wanted to include everyone, and I’m really glad I did, our soybean looks really cute,” says Schmitz. Each of the students received a four-inch square piece of white paper on which they were instructed to draw a picture in pencil. Each grade level was assigned a different theme to draw; the themes followed a soybean’s journey from a tiny seed- to harvest- to soy products, just to name a few. Once the students were happy with their pictures, they traced the pencil drawing with a black marker and then colored their pictures in with crayons. Schmitz then used decoupage to apply the students’ pictures to the fiberglass soybean.

“The pictures are great; I was really impressed with the kids,” continues Schmitz. “The classroom teachers talked about soy in their classrooms before we started the Soy on Parade project, so the kids already had some knowledge of soy when we began. One teacher even brought in soybean stalks from her farm to show the students.

“They loved it,” says Schmitz when asked the students’ reaction to this project. “They call it ‘our soybean’ and are always anxious to see the progress that has been made since their last art class. They can’t wait to see it finished.”

Olmsted Elementary isn’t the only school participating in Soy on Parade; Boone Middle School is also designing a soybean. Other participants are as follows: Nanci Griffith (Ankeny, IA), Marlyn Ashland (Ames, IA), Chris Cowan (Ames, IA), Mary Holtze (Des Moines, IA), Bill Hamilton (Des Moines, IA), Marv Freund (Urbandale, IA), Andy Chenchar (Des Moines, IA), Kathy Grove (Des Moines, IA), Cate Newberg and Alex Newberg (Urbandale, IA), Jennifer Mally (Des Moines, IA), Dot Prater (Ames, IA), Shelby Ostrander (Des Moines, IA), Jonathan Hoffman (Des Moines, IA) and Gary Usovsky (Des Moines, IA).

The artists interested in this project had to submit a drawing of his/her idea to ISA, including the theme the artist chose and an explanation of why that theme was picked. Once the 20 artists were selected, the beans were delivered and the artists began to bring the beans, and their ideas, to life.

The sculptures must be completed by March 1, at which time they will be collected and bases will be added so the beans can be displayed. The completed sculptures will be on display at the state capitol on March 20, for Soy Day on the Hill, and throughout Iowa for the rest of the summer. They will also be exhibited at the Iowa State Fair in August. “My students are excited to visit the Iowa State Fair this summer to see their soybean on display,” says Schmitz.

In September, the sculptures will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to ISA’s scholarship fund. “I have some students who really want to buy their soybean when it is auctioned,” says Schmitz. “I have even had some parents interested in buying this soybean.”

The scholarships are available to Iowa high school seniors pursuing a degree in an agricultural-related field.