Meet Stan Herd | Earthwork artist/ political activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stan Herd and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking is essential to innovation…..innovation essential to advancement and discovery…advancement and discovery…. essential to problem solving and creating something new. My life has been a journey to see the world in a new way….to think outside the box…to embrace the excitement of finding a new path through the jungle of old ways of doing and thinking. You must have an appreciation for conventional ways of thinking and doing…before you boldly walk past it. This— is what it means to be alive ..to me.

To overcome the fear of the unknown and take that leap of faith …defines human experience…whether in the arts, sciences, humanities. the world of politics or just embracing adventure and problem solving. All of my best work derived from risk taking. Yes– not all risk taking leads to grand discovery. That is why it is defined as a gamble. My favorite quote – Those who cannot create their own ‘destiny’ in consciousness- will have their fate inflicted up on them in unconsciousness (author unknown)

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was 22, after a dozen years of painting and creating art on paper/canvas… I conceived of the prospect of creating an earthwork on 160 acres of land. Fifty years later I have traveled the world creating massive earthworks- including a permanent four acre rock mosaic/with gardens in the SW China Province of Yunnan…Young Woman of China. My works are always in support of indigenous people, the environment and women’s issues. My earthwork in 1992 on NY’s Manhattan Island… on Trump owned property became the subject of the movie ‘Earthwork’ with John Hawkes playing my role. Since that time my activism in politics,,, varying sharply from the Trump legacy… has led me to numerous portrayals of progressive activists in numerous States around the US, Currently we are working to create 6 images in 6 swing states with the help of college students in each state to help push Taylor Swifts (and others) to get the young vote out. Our goal…Saving Democracy!!!..

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If time permitted I would take this ‘friend’ on a road trip to the Tall Grass Prairie’ the last remaining prairie of ‘big bluestem’ which defines the heartland of the United States. We would stop at the small town of Cottonwood Falls in time for a grass fed Steak (or vegetarian dish) at the amazing Grand Central hotel and break into a fine bottle of Pinot Noir as the sun sets on the beautiful waving Kansas Prairie. If we caught it right… we might see the night landscape ‘lit up’ by the annual controlled ‘prairie burning’ …………..then we would head south the next day to radio personality Bill Kurtis’ Red Buffalo’ ranch (named after the prairie fires) to walk out one mile to our huge rock monument to the Osage people- Prairie Henge- a 220 ton stone monument nestled in the rolling black oak hills of SW Kansas. Be careful of the Buffalo nearby. Back in Lawrence Kansas we would dine at one of the great restaurants, catch the band at the Jazz House and visit Haskell Indian University to walk on our one acre earthwork ‘Medicine Wheel’ nestled on Haskell south campus. This stone work was created from the original stone buildings on the famous campus that housed the first native students…stolen from their family back before Haskell became a leading University embracing students from across the States.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
While dozens of people have had powerful influence in my life, my father, my brother and my son have molded me in ways that are still guiding my trajectory in these final chapters of life. With their collective embrace of humanity, unflappable character, demanding a check on my ego, pushing me to excellence and humility at the same time, I find myself standing in their collective presence when temptations of personal gain and undo praise arrive at my doorstep.

Barack Obama’s rise to political leadership was a harbinger of change in the world… a belief that the ’embrace of democracy’ might actually work,

Website: stanherdarts.com

Instagram: stan_herd_arts

Facebook: stanherdarts

Youtube: stan herd/ earthworks

Other: My earthworks are literally all over the internet …including some of my commercial works. As an artist with great ambition… I finance the portraits of Maya Angelou and John Lewis and trips to Brazil with the largesse of commercial works.

Image Credits
all photos credited to HerdWorks Intl LLC. stan herd / headworks Intl llc