Prairie Echos: Eco-Printing with Nature
Red Cloud Opera House
413 N WEBSTER ST
Red Cloud, NE 68970
United States
We look forward to welcoming Kansas artist Laura Mead and her dream-like botanical prints to the Red Cloud Opera House Gallery this autumn. The works on display, whether printed on paper, polymer clay, or silk, are more than just a representation of the prairie; instead, they are created by and with native prairie plants that are grown and hand-selected for use by the artist, on her own acreage.
Through her knowledge of prairie plants and their characteristics, Mead is able to coax bold colors and surprisingly delicate textures from common prairie grasses and forbs, using heat and pressure. The result is heavily textural artwork that recreates the prairie landscape on natural fibers. The natural palette and striking forms make this exhibit a stunning evocation of place.
Please join us October 17, 2025, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. for an artist's reception at the Red Cloud Opera House Gallery. The reception is free and open to the public. Many of Mead's pieces will be for sale, which supports the artist directly, as well as supporting our mission to preserve Willa Cather's legacy through preservation, education, and the arts.
If you're interested in learning how to create botanical prints yourself, Laura Mead will lead a workshop October 18, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.–2 p.m. Registration will open in June.
Here's a glimpse into Laura's process:
About Laura Mead
A native of Vermont, Laura moved to Kansas after falling in love with the Flint Hills. She was formally introduced to meditation in 1986, and after experiencing the benefits became a regular meditator. Over the years, she has been authorized by a number of teachers from different traditions to teach a variety of meditative practices. In addition, she became certified as a meditation instructor in Cultivating Emotional Balance under the instruction of Drs. Alan Wallace, Paul Ekman and Eve Ekman. Laura regularly offers meditation classes nationwide.
As a way of maintaining her own meditative stability and expressing creative energies, she engages in artistic pursuits involving polymer clay and natural fibers. Laura is a self-taught artist.