I came to the Tallgrass Artist Residencey without any true expectations other than a desire to experience the places where the land meets the sky. I have lived in Lawrence, Kansas for the last 25 or so years, and I’ve always found the prairie sky to be inspiring. But I’ve never truly spent time there. My sculptural work examines the complicated, sometimes troubling, and always compelling intersection between humans and the natural world. For me, the horizon line is a true visual representation of that connection. So I entered the Tallgrass with my eyes up and seeking out those spots where humanity and nature collided in unexpected ways. The discoveries I was looking for were found closer to my feet.

It took me most of the 10 days to begin to grasp the complexity of the prairie. Hiking and exploring various locations in the area began to give me a fuller picture of the impacts of humans on this amazing landscape. Aside from the fact that so little of the original Tallgrass Prairie still exists, the parts that remain vary greatly depending upon the treatment/management. A little over halfway through my time at the residency, I was given an extensive tour of the Konza Prairie Biological Station. Being able to see and witness the subtle differences in how different management styles impact the prairie was a true turning point in my understanding of this unique landscape. I am not pretending that I truly understand all the intricacies of our impact on the prairie, but having my eyes opened to subtleties (and not so subtleties) was transformational.

Frankly, I’m still processing how this experience will impact my studio practice, but the daily drawings journals from my time in the prairie are beginning to emerge in a new body of work.

Mark Cowardin is a father, a husband, an artist, and an educator. Mark’s sculptural work examines the complicated, sometimes troubling, and always compelling intersection between humans and the natural world. At the core of his research is a keen awareness of a personal connection to the delicate environs of which he speaks. Much of the work begins with the observation of the absurd illuminating the extreme beauty that ironically exists in some of humankinds’ most damaging examples of consumption. Mark Cowardin received an MFA in sculpture from the University of Arizona and a BFA from the University of Kansas, and currently resides with his family in Lawrence, Kansas. His work is included in numerous private and public collections including the John Michael Kohler Art Center, Kohler Corporation, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and Rockhurst University. In 2023 & 2024, Cowardin mounted five solo exhibitions, and the Nerman MOCA presented his largescale installation Drift as a part of the Sun Drinks White exhibition.