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A Gathering of Art Inspired by the
Tallgrass Prairie of Kansas
March 14 - May 31, 2006
This exhibit was organized by Don Lambert, formerly of Topeka. The traveling exhibition features 37 works in a variety of art media, each depicting the Flint Hills. Artists whose works were selected for the exhibition include Stan Herd of Lawrence, Patricia Duncan of Rockport, Maine, and Phil Epp of Newton (BC '72). Kauffman Museum is the last Kansas venue before the exhibition travels to Washington, DC.
The Flint Hills are so named for the bands of chert embedded in the Permian-age limestones of that physiographic region of Kansas. The hard chert, or flint used for making clovis points by neolithic hunters, defines the less eroded strata of that region. It also makes the land unsuitable for tilling, so it is covered with the tall native bluestem prairie grass which is excellent for grazing cattle or bison. Since the earliest prehistoric populations, these grasslands have been burned in the spring, limiting tree and brush growth, in order to promote early grass growth from the sun-warmed blackened earth to provide early grazing for bison and cattle. It is the largest remaining native central plain grassland in North America.
-- Kansas Geological Survey
Honor or respect publicly expressed to a person or idea; ‘With the exception of peace, no social ideal relieves more homage than education’ (Bernard Wright)
-- American Heritage Dictionary
Phil Epp
Newton
Acrylic on board
48” x 36”
“The Flint Hill painting exhibit was organized several years ago with the intention of showing the beauty and diversity of the last stand of American tallgrass prairie. Many artists and organizers involved were concerned about the the loss of this majestic landscape to the threat of large industrial wind complexes. This image was constructed to show both the disruptive nature of this industrialization and the massive scale of the imposing turbines.”
Topeka-Shawnee County Library, Topeka • Cowley County Community College, Arkansas City • Ernie Miller Nature Center, Olathe • Chanute Art Gallery, Chanute • Junction City Arts Council, Junction City • Manhattan Arts Center, Manhattan • Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence • Emporia Arts Council and Center for Great Plains Studies, Emporia State University, Emporia • Shafer Gallery, Barton County Community College, Great Bend • City Arts, Wichita • Erman B. White Gallery, Butler County Community College, El Dorado • Kauffman Museum, Bethel College, North Newton
The Kansas Land Trust is honored to help sponsor “Homage to the Flint Hills” and the publication of the exhibit catalog.
The oldest land trust in our state devoted entirely to conserving Kansas lands, KLT works with landowners and others to permanently preserve scenic, agricultural and ecological treasures such as the Flint Hills. Through their membership and financial support, thousands of Kansans make it possible for this non-profit organization to assist landowners in ensuring that landscapes like those shown in this collection will be there for all future generations.
As editor of Kansas Magazine, Andrea was a champion of the natural beauty of Kansas as well as the efforts by Kansas artists who depicted it. She helped organize the 1995 exhibit, “The Kansas Landscape,” along with its accompanying publication sponsored by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The following year, she arranged for the exhibit to be at the US Capitol, with a reception hosted by the Kansas Congressional Delegation.
Paintings by four artists included in “The Kansas Landscape”--Robert Sudlow, Phil Epp, Donna Carrington and Todd Matson--are in “Homage to the Flint Hills.”
