Saving soil through art
Gwen Pieper is bringing science and art together to benefit the Taos community
At the crossroads of science, art and activism stands a red-haired Taoseña artist named Gwendolyn Pieper. Always active in her community, and fresh home from recently graduating from Cornell, Pieper recently started a new project in Taos.
From the front room of the Mudd N flood Mountain Shop, Pieper sells her art in tote bag form. The bags, which sell for $20, feature an original Pieper “botanical illustration” and a message about soil conservation and care. That’s the art part of the project.
The science is in the subject. The painting – originally done in watercolor – features several prominent cover crops, all local to North America.
“I wanted to show the beauty of bringing together all of these diverse cover crops,” said Pieper. “On the back, I printed the principles of soil health. Then I wrote up this little informative tag that talks about how cover crops help the farmer and also, in many ways, contribute to mitigating climate change and restoring the water cycle.”
Though the plants on the tote bags are not specific to Taos, they all offer benefits to their particular regions.
“The plants like phacelia and chicory are native to the area,” said Pieper. “But the other ones in the picture are native to North America and each of them contribute something to their ecosystem whether as pollinating plants for insects or adding nitrogen to the soil.”
And finally, there is the activism of the project. Pieper’s goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of healthy soil and a clean environment. But she also wants to make a tangible change. So 20 percent of the proceeds from sales of the bags will go to help spread beneficial cover crops.
“This project has integrated nicely with another project that I’m working on,” Pieper said. “I’m creating a pamphlet to promote the ‘no-till seeder’ that was recently donated to the Taos Land Trust and is being used to plant cover crops. So, I’m going to donate the seeds through the Taos Land Trust. People can contact me from the pamphlet and get a free bag of seeds, which I will purchase with 20 percent of the proceeds from the tote bags.”
It’s a lot to take on, but for Piper, the project just makes sense.
“It probably all started [at the family dairy farm in Arroyo Seco], but as a youth I was kind of rebellious and swore I would never get into farming,” Pieper said.
So she went to college on the East Coast and pursued an interest in winemaking. Through that course of study, she found herself in a soil science class.
“I just discovered that I love soil and kind of reconnected with my farming roots,” she said. “That’s when I decided the direction I really wanted to go in.”
The artist side of Pieper goes back just as far. She took up painting in high school before taking “a break from art” to go into a more scientific trade.
“I thought that I couldn’t be an artist and a scientist,” she said. “Then I took this botanical illustration class in college and it kind of merged those two passions and I got really interested in drawing and painting plants.”
After returning to Taos, Pieper quickly found a work space. She became the first artist in residence at Casa Blanca. The studio, again, just made sense for Pieper.
“The building was designed by Malcolm Brown back in the ‘60s, so there is a cool, kind of funky vibe,” she said. “The space is now for artists and activists to do collaborative residencies to create and instigate for the common good.”
For Pieper, the project is about creating good wherever she goes, no matter how long she is there.
“I’m only [in Taos] for a short time and I really want to give back to the community while I’m here. I want to advocate for these things that I’m passionate about also.”
But part of doing good for her community is working with others who want to do the same.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be in touch with Isabelle Jenniches, who is the co-founder of New Mexico Healthy Soils Working Group, and they have a beautiful mission in New Mexico to really trying to advocate for your soil health and regenerative agriculture.”
Now that the project is up and running, with tote bags for sale both in-store and online at Mudd N Flood Mountain Shop (muddnflood.com), Pieper said she will be ready to begin giving out seed packs in the spring.
For more information on Gwen Pieper’s projects, visit