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Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art

Tag: The Meadow

The Meadow

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

Experience a prairie garden right on K-State campus and open to all! The Meadow is a landscape of prairie plants native to the Flint Hills  located just north of the Beach museum. The proximity of the Meadow to the museum provides a meaningful compliment to the museum’s regional art collections.

Several varieties of milkweed and other species provide food and habitat for Monarchs and other pollinators. More than 30 species have been identified in the Meadow; more may be revealed as the landscape matures.

The Meadow has been used for teaching, learning, and research on: natural dye plants, mycelium and other bio-building materials, stormwater infiltration, ecosystem services, benefits of time in nature, pollinator sampling and identification, native plant identification and root physiology.

K-State College of Architecture, Planning & Design students created cohesive seating experiences for three different spaces along the path through The Meadow. Their inventive use of concrete combined with powder coated steel (referencing the Black-Eyed Susan flower) and local walnut wood create unique place-driven solutions inspired by the mission of the Meadow and the preservation of grasslands.

View of the Meadow: a landscape of prairie plants native to the Flint Hills located just north of the Beach Museum of Art.

Take a stroll or enjoy the view through the student-designed custom seating and experience the connections between art, science, and the natural world!

The Meadow is a project of the Beach Museum of Art’s Prairie Studies Initiative, in collaboration with K-State staff, faculty, students, and members of the surrounding community. Made possible in part by the generosity of the Hummel family, K-State’s Green Action Fund, the John & John T. Henley Meadow Fund, and a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Meadow is a living memorial to Professor William C. Hummel and Sara T. Hummel.

The Meadow gets an update through new student-designed seating

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

Visitors of the Meadow can soon enjoy new seating designed and fabricated in collaboration with the students of the K-State Department of Architecture Planning and Design. The students are currently in the making mode, and the museum is excited about this collaboration. The new seating will be unveiled with a grand celebration in Spring 2024. Stay tuned for more details!

Here is a peek at the fabrication process:

A student works on preparations for cutting of wood that will be part of the new Meadow seating.

Freshly fabricated top and bottom of one of the seats to be installed in the Meadow.
The Meadow is a landscape of prairie plants native to the Flint Hills located just north of the Beach Museum of Art. Milkweeds and other species here provide food and habitat for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Enjoy this prairie garden right on the K-State campus and open for all.
The Meadow helps build meaningful connections among art, science, and enjoyment of the natural world. It is a project of the Beach Museum of Art’s Prairie Studies Initiative, in collaboration with K-State staff, faculty, students, and members of the surrounding community.

Linda A. Duke Overlook

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

To honor former director Linda Duke and her leadership of the Beach Museum of Art, the staff has named an area of the museum’s campus entrance, overlooking the Meadow, after Linda.

Linda A. Duke Overlook at the Beach Museum of Art

The Meadow is a prime example of how Linda shaped what the Beach Museum of Art means to the university and Manhattan communities: a place where art intersects with other disciplines to spark curiosity and moments of wonder.

Linda Duke photo

Linda Duke

When she started as director, the triangular patch of green in front of the museum’s campus entrance, bordered on the other sides by the Danforth Chapel and McCain Auditorium, was mowed turfgrass. The idea for its transformation began in a conversation between her and then Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Katie Kingery-Page, now associate dean for the College of Architecture, Planning & Design. They dreamed of creating a living, interactive exhibit of colors and sounds that would inspire wonder. Contact with the Meadow’s native grasses, wildflowers, insects, and animals show people that a sense of beauty and science are linked: they are two sides of one’s experience in nature. A collaborative project involving many Manhattan residents and K-State faculty, staff, and students, the Meadow thrives with less water and pesticide use than conventional lawns, demonstrating a sustainable model for urban landscaping and offering opportunities to study tallgrass prairie plants, wildlife, climate effects, and more. Click here to read more about The Meadow.

Linda A. Duke Overlook at the Beach Museum of Art

The plaque naming the lobby space overlooking the Meadow includes a quote that many of us have heard Linda say. During the planning of several different projects, Linda often remarked that what we do demonstrates that art can bring something meaningful to people’s lives even if they do not like it, and that it can help them understand difficult topics and empathize with people of different backgrounds. We museum staff are committed to continuing work in this spirit.

Participants in a museum’s educational program explore The Meadow

Check out the new benches in The Meadow!

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

Recently the museum’s Exhibition Designer and Building Systems Lead Lindsay Smith installed new benches in The Meadow, a landscape of prairie plants native to the Flint Hills adjacent to the #BeachMuseumofArt. Milkweeds and other species here provide food and habitat for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Enjoy this prairie garden adjacent to the Beach Museum of Art right on K-State campus!

Thanks to some very special K-State alumni for donating the benches, which are replicas of the benches in New York City’s Central Park.

The Meadow helps build meaningful connections among art, science, and enjoyment of the natural world. It is a project of the Beach Museum of Art’s Prairie Studies Initiative, in collaboration with K-State staff, faculty, students, and members of the surrounding community.

Click here for more information on The Meadow.

Click here to read a blog on The Meadow.