Hempfield
With townships like East and West Hempfield, it’s no surprise hemp has played a very important part in Pennsylvania’s agricultural history.
When the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn in 1681, it was destined to be a major producer of hemp. In 1683, the Commonwealth passed an act to legally compel every farmer to grow hemp. This law also helped promote the growth of commerce by allowing hemp fiber to be used as currency.
Fast forward to 1978 when the movie “Up In Smoke” was created. It was a counterculture story about two guys looking to score pot so they can get high and play music. This was Cheech and Chong’s greatest comedy hit and has been called the first of the stoner movies. It took marijuana culture to a broader audience. A key part of that movie was the iconic song “Low Rider” written by American funk band “War.” It appeared on their album “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” The album cover is the painting’s moon face.
The lyrics take the cool, laidback image of the low rider — the Chicano culture practice of hydraulically hot-rodding classic cars — and using innuendo, extends the image to a “lifestyle” with ties to marijuana usage.
This painting highlights the centuries old business of growing hemp as a cash crop while whimsically imagining what it might look like if Anabaptist hemp farmers were influenced by Cheech and Chong’s stoner lifestyle.