Pictured above: "The Native American" by Stan Herd, done in a 20-acre field.

Stan Herd Earthwork at JCCC

“Kansa Man” is the title of a unique artwork to be created by Stan Herd, a Lawrence, Kan., artist known internationally for using the earth as his canvas.  Herd has been commissioned to create “Kansa Man” in the quarter acre of land between the outdoor horticulture garden and the road leading to the sports parking lots.

Herd said the petroglyph was inspired in part by author William Least Heat Moon’s “PrairyErth” drawing of an ancient petroglyph in a book of the same name. He said he was also influenced by the study of drawings and Native American objects offered by Bruce Hartman, executive director, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art located at JCCC.

The Center for American Indian Studies at JCCC also provided advice in choosing an indigenous design. Sean Daley, associate professor, anthropology, and director of the center, with help from center associates Ed Smith and Travis Brown, settled on a circular figure, representing cycles and harmony.

This particular design was first discussed in 2009 after Herd was selected as a speaker for the Kansas Studies Institute lecture series.

The project is a collaboration among many departments on campus. Support and funding of the piece came from the Kansas Studies Institute, the Center for American Indian Studies, the Student Sustainability Committee, the art history department, the horticultural sciences department, the Nerman Museum and the president’s office.

The piece will change over the years as the students in horticultural science classes change the plantings within the circle to create different incarnations of the artwork each season.