Loose Leaf Projects
Limited Edition Prints & Books
New Midwestern Nature Stories
An Illustrated Collection
An Artist-Led Project by Karen Kopacz, Artist & Writer
Select Midwest prints are available now. An artist-designed book is in progress.
In 2016-2019, I traveled over 8000 miles throughout the Midwest to places I had drawn. This nature-immersive journey allowed me to produce a collection of stories that emerged from visiting public parks and natural areas in every Midwestern state.
The New Midwestern Nature Stories series elevates stories about natural areas and our relationships with land and each other. Each drawing pairs with a short story that contextualizes land through compelling narrative that encourages thoughtful reflection on human, ecological, and bioregional interconnection.
It recognizes the importance of shifting ecological and human perspectives so that we can to imagine and explore a new mythos of the living world.
This artistic approach to land and water comprehension is a pathway to recover optimism amid disorientation. As we become collectively aware of our disconnection from the land that sustains us, we can begin to build connections toward working collaboratively with nature and each other.
— Karen Kopacz
The Illustrations
Each Illustration Links to a Map
Click images below to explore each place in satellite view in Google Maps. Map tips: Click the yellow person icon at the lower right, then click the small, blue circles to enter street view to have a look around. (You may need to zoom out to locate blue circles.) Click the “x” in the upper right to exit street view.
A Hand-Planted Forest in the Midwestern Desert, 2015. Once the largest hand-planted forest in the world, this forest was cultivated by Charles Bessey over 100 years ago. His vision for planting a forest in the Nebraska Sandhills was deemed impossible by many and fought by ranchers. After a decade or more of trial and error and planting assistance by the residents of this tiny town, the forest continues to replenish trees lost to forest fires and other causes in 5 states. Bessey Ranger District. Nebraska National Forest in Halsey, NE.
The Juniper Fire That Burned for 26 Years, 2015. This national park is under threat from the Bakken Oil Boom. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) borders the park and gas flares contribute to light pollution. The buttes at Painted Canyon. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND.
Where the Tallgrass Still Grows, 2020. Less than 1% of tallgrass prairie still remains in the US. During settlement, the largest expanse was saved by rocks. This drawing depicts a burn area to highlight the rocky terrain. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, KS.
Birdsong & Rocket Bodies, 2015. Yellow Mounds Overlook at Badlands National Park, SD & Pinnacles Overlook at Custer State Park Black Hills, SD. (Also see: https://tinyurl.com/yckrub27)
The Miracle of Mushrooms & Bryophytes, 2020. Ash Cave. Hocking Hills State Park, OH.
Trading Jack Pines for French Fries, 2015. A North Dakota potato farmer (McDonald's french fries) destroyed acres of jack pines before being stopped by the DNR. The farm is a threat to the Pineland Sands which sits atop a major aquifer. Wadena MN.
The Great Protector, 2016. Grasses are important to stand stabilization to protect dunes. Here, the dunes lead to marshes and forests that help protect the surrounding area from flooding. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN.
That Shipwreck, Too, Will Be Forgotten, 2015. Lake Superior is under constant protection by citizens and organizations who oppose sulfide-ore copper mining which leaches heavy metals and could permanently damage lakes and groundwater. The Great Lakes are one of the largest surface freshwater ecosystems in the world. Lake Superior. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI.
Unlike the Sky, the Land Has Borders, 2015. BWCAW is under constant protection by citizens and organizations who oppose sulfide-ore copper mining which leaches heavy metals and could permanently damage lakes and groundwater. The Great Lakes are one of the largest surface freshwater ecosystems in the world. View from the Border Route Trail. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, MN,
The Sway of Nature, Law, and Sprawl, 2016. The wings of the eagle in the river connect to the shoreline where a bridge was constructed. The proposed bridge on this Wild & Scenic River was strongly contested by its protectors. The bridge was built. St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, MN & WI.
River Fires and the Creation of the Federal EPA, 2015. This image tells the story of the creation of the federal EPA, which was enacted after the Cuyahoga River caught fire over 13 times from pollution. Cuyahoga River & Brandywine Falls. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH.
Natural Bridges and Caves, 2015. The Natural Bridge. Maquoketa Caves State Park, IA
Cypress Beings at the Confluence, 2017. Big Cypress Access & Heron Pond. Little Black Slough Nature Preserve, IL.
Mining the Edges, 2015. St. Louis Canyon Trail. Starved Rock, IL.
We Crossed Paths Last Evening, 2020. Chimney Rock National Monument, NE.
When the Commodity of Land Overpowers Community, 2015. Through the Devil's Doorway. Devil's Lake State Park, WI.
The Solar Eclipse, 2017. Garden of the Gods. Shawnee National Forest, IL.
Magnetically Dismantling All of Creation, 2016. Wildlife Loop Road. Black Hills, SD.
Open Air Journal
The Road Trips
Photo documentation the road trips—8000 miles of nature in 3 loops.
Documentation
Acts, Facts, Maps & Timelines
A library of documentation that informed the project.
