Succession Plan (July 23–August 1, 2025)
Kingery-Page and Wiersma purposely chose one of the (typically) hottest weeks of the year in Kansas for their Tallgrass Residency. Their interest in the durability of grassland plants, and in particular, the successional species of disturbed sites, guided their ten days near Matfield Green.
Kingery-Page: In an interesting twist, the late July weather near Matfield Green was unusually rainy and overcast. Over the ten days, we enjoyed unseasonably cool days at 79◦F and more typical days at 97◦F. Yes, Kansans talk about the weather (!). Not enough folks are talking about the NOAA data indicating that Spring and Fall temperatures in Kansas have already seen the greatest change. Fewer days of freeze in the year affect available soil moisture and hotter temperatures may exacerbate the impact of drought. The sturdiest of plants, those roadside succession species, may take on new ecosystem roles as grasslands adapt to changing temperatures and moisture.
The human symbiosis with plants is at once sacred and profane. We need the life-sustaining vegetal world. We anthropomorphize plants, evidenced by our long human history of seeing qualities from tough to delicate in vegetation. Grasslands, in their density, their bio-diversity, their hardiness, their high lonesome, and their subtlety—they seem to embody a quiet persistence.
Kingery-Page: Our first day, Erin and I found a place to draw, a liminal place near Cedar Creek Road. The gravel lot was about sixty percent overgrown with successional plant species. For me, it was perfect: no fence, no ‘no trespassing sign’, and spotted with snow-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia marginata). I set up my battered lawn chair and drawing board each day, always meditating on a single specimen of Euphorbia marginata. This extremely draught tolerant North American plant is loved for its beauty but disliked by cattle. Its form was more than enough to occupy hours.
It takes such constant effort to look
Observing
Staying in the real
Resisting the urge to stylize, systematize, process and make the form routine
The many shades of discomfort: heat, sweat, sunburn, my uncomfortable grip on my luan board
All of it reminds me to stay here in the real
Wiersma: The gravel lot substrate was incomplete, interrupted by plants and also leftover material mounds from highway construction storage. Katie was observing the growth through and above the gravel. I was observing the displaced stone, which became part of my mark-making. Long drives through the Chase County landscape brought a sense of longing for the completeness of intact prairie. We settled in at the gravel lot to learn from change and balance that change with timeless views of Flint Hills.
Kingery-Page: A few days in, Erin and I sampled two vegetation transects, to learn about other species on the site. We spent a few evenings looking up the plants until we felt confident in their identification.
On the hottest days we ducked down to Crocker Creek, near South Fork Cottonwood River at Pioneer Bluffs.
Wiersma: The County Soil Survey became my source for mark-making material. I tried to understand what geological processes created the deep and warm soil colors. The roadway cut as a disturbance, and the natural creak channel formation—both revealed the soil.
Near our last day on the prairie we took Open Range Road out to The Pioneer Ranch, heritage land of the Mercer family. Present day descendants and ranchers, Dave and Amber Griffin allowed Kingery-Page to record an interview of their experiences ranching cattle. Their audio will be part of future Grassland Interview exhibits.
Thank you to the folks at the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains. They hosted our public workshop for a great inter-generational crowd of true observers who slowly amassed a room full of plant portraits.
Erin Wiersma, a visual artist from Manhattan, Kansas, explores the relationship between body and environment through site-specific practice at the Konza Prairie Biological Station. She integrates works on paper, film, and community engagement to examine connections between humans and the prairie. Her work captures traces of the tallgrass ecosystem using materials from prescribed burns. Wiersma’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including ‘Earthly Observatory’ at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Galleries (Chicago, IL), ‘Wester: Works on Paper from the Konza Prairie’ at Mid-America Arts Alliance (Kansas City, MO), ‘Finding Ground’ at H&R Block Artspace (Kansas City, MO), and ‘Reading the World’ at Spencer Museum of Art (Lawrence, KS). She is represented by Robischon Gallery (Denver, CO) and Galerie Wehlau (Munich, Germany). Wiersma is a Professor of Art at Kansas State University, where she fosters cross-disciplinary connections between art, ecology, and environmental research.
Katie Kingery-Page (b.1974 Wichita, Kansas) is a landscape architect who uses drawing and ethnographic interview methods to understand place. She studied sculpture at Wichita State University, art theory at the School of the Chicago Art Institute, ecology through Antioch College, and landscape architecture through Kansas State University. As an engaged scholar, she collaborates with communities to reveal local knowledge that helps people make meaningful decisions for civic futures. Kingery-Page is associate dean and professor in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design at Kansas State University