Tallgrass Prairie & the Power of Perenniality
“Perenniality” isn’t a real word. (Yet.) But, it’s a good way to describe the worldview that Kelly Yarbrough has found embedded in the Kansas tallgrass prairie. The tallgrass prairie is arguably the most endangered ecosystem on the planet. But besides being ecologically threatened, Kelly Yarbrough thinks that the prairie is also entirely under-appreciated for its model of how to live well in community with others. Connecting the dots between art, agriculture, ecology and interpersonal problem-solving, Kelly shares some examples of what the unassuming prairie landscape can teach us all about life well-lived.
About Kelly
Kelly Yarbrough graduated from Austin College in 2009 double majoring in Art and English. She received her MFA from Kansas State University in 2016. She is the founder of the Tallgrass Artist Residency and a Regional Representative of the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, with a focus area in Art & Ecology. Yarbrough works within an ecosystem of visual art, arts administration, and environmental education directly inspired by the native tallgrass prairie. She lives in Manhattan, Kansas.