Manganese was discovered in 1774 by Johann Gahn and was named from the Latin mangnes, meaning magnet. This common compound is a very hard and brittle metal that is used in the production of iron, stainless steel and aluminum alloys. My depiction of Mn represents the manganese dendrites, also called pseudo-fossils, which form when manganese oxide crystallizes on rock surfaces in branching patterns. I applied metallic fabric paint on a gelatin mold and used arborvitae branches as a resist on black silk to create the design and then cut out the piece in the shape of one of my favorite states, Minnesota.
The Elements 
It’s interesting that you chose to put green plants on the MN state map. The oxygen produced by photosynthesis in green plants is formed at a place in the photosynthetic machinery where there are four manganese atoms. Those four Mn atoms constitute the core of what is known as the oxygen evolving complex. Cool!