| Painting Fields of Dreams | | In the village of Inakadate, Japan, elaborate expanses of "rice paddy art" grace the surrounding landscape. Looking for a way to boost tourism and contribute to the village's rich culture, town officials turned to what they knew best—growing rice. Using dozens of varieties of rice as their color palette, locals gather to plant each new masterpiece, taking inspiration from local geography and Japanese folklore. | | | For the Birds, By the People: The Artist Building Human-Sized Nests | | In the forestry hills of Big Sur, California, Jayson Fann weaves, bends and shapes eucalyptus and willow branches into incredible human-sized nests. Each of these "earthly temples" weighs in at over 100,000 pounds, often requiring heavy-duty equipment to aid in transportation and construction. | | | | | From Spare Parts to High Art | | Amongst the ranches of South Dakota, artist John Lopez is welding unbelievable assemblages of scrap metal and discarded farm tools. His constructions are larger-than-life recreations of bears, bulls, horses and more, all imbued with the spirit of the wild west. | | | | Every Wednesday at the Sonoma Raceway in California, high school students line up on the drag strip and go one on one … with a police car. It's all a part of a program hoping to put a positive 'spin' on law enforcement, providing teens with a safe space to hit the accelerator. | | | | | |
