Our gracious host
Our Gracious Host is a dinner table based on the eight states that overlie the Ogallala Aquifer: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.
The minimal steel table follows the borders of these states. Eight ceramic plates are each marked with patterns drawn from the circular fields created by center-pivot irrigation.
Grasses grow through and around the table, recalling the arid grasslands that cover much of the High Plains. These grasses once supported large herds of bison and pronghorn (or “prairie antelopes”). Today, the same landscape is extensively farmed, with much of its agriculture dependent on groundwater from the Ogallala.
The title refers to the aquifer as a host and to our position as guests at her table. Like guests at a gathering, we are here to eat and enjoy what has been provided.The question is how long the table can remain set.
Materials: Unglazed ceramic dinnerware, mild steel, grass, pegboard, insulation foam, soil
Dimensions: approx. 80”L x 40”W x 30”H
Photos: Bobby Scheidemann, Shanaz Maharaj
The Ogallala is like a fabulous host, keeping the table full and the food coming.
We've been enjoying the feast for generations, but we're beginning to realize that the party can't go on forever.
As part of the Every Body a Water Body, Every Field a Clock exhibit, The Ogallala connects the hidden movement of groundwater to the bodies, landscapes, and agricultural systems that depend on it.
Groundwater is largely invisible, making it easy to overlook despite its importance to our food systems and daily lives.
