Every year, Symphony in the Flint Hills hosts a juried Prairie Art Exhibition that showcases the work of artists who capture the beauty of the Flint Hills.
This year, 51 pieces were selected from 114 entries. Juror Saralyn Reece Hardy, Marilyn Stokstad Director of KU’s Spencer Museum of Art, selected Lisa Grossman’s painting, In the Cottonwood Watershed, as this year’s winning piece.
The piece, in the words of the artist, “was inspired by my time as the first Artist-in-Residence at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in April 2016.” Said Grossman, “The spring burns were greening, and I was attracted to these long draws that were draining the heavy rains of previous days. A few days later it dried out and burning resumed as you can see here in the smoky horizon. It was a glorious time to experience the prairie’s transformation.”
“Artists, musicians and poets help us gain understanding of what evades our individual notice or contemplation. Such is the work of Grossman. She paints what is felt and desired, allowing her transformed views to emerge and inviting new revelations in familiar vistas,” said juror Saralyn Reece Hardy. “May the powerful forces of the prairie continue to resonate with the many creative artists who give us voice and sight.”
In the Cottonwood Watershed is available as a limited edition commemorative print and can be purchased at the Symphony in the Flint Hills store in Cottonwood Falls, online store and the Signature Event on June 9.
The 2018 Prairie Art Exhibit will be on display at the Symphony in the Flint Hills Gallery — 331 Broadway in Cottonwood Falls — through June 3 and sold by silent auction at the Signature Event on June 9. For more information, or to purchase tickets to the 2018 Symphony in the Flint Hills Signature Event, call 620-273-8955.