The one year-old Walker Art Center In Minneapolis is about to receive a facade re-do. Commissioned by Walker administrators to design a revision, the Journal of American Rocket Science chose to use the perforated holes in the thin metal covering as a matrix for a CHIA PET vegetative growth that will cover the now-shiny skin. CHIA PET, the popular 1970s novelty item that grew a mossy covering from seeds embedded in a clay animal-shaped body, will become popular art now transformed into high art, say Walker art spokespersons.

Walker officials had proposed a “roots” theme, as a reference to the art institution’s origins by its founder, T.B. Walker, a lumber baron, who owned large tracts of giant fir trees known for their deep roots. However, some detractors of the museum comment that CHIA PET is very appropriate, as the tiny stems’ shallowness symbolize the depth of the objects within the galleries.