Mary Merkel-Hess on the prairie garden as inspiration

Fiber artist Mary Merkel-Hess on the prairie garden as inspiration and her daily practice of drawing. NATURE episode PBS premiere Friday, April 21, 2017.

Mary Merkel-Hess grew up in the farmlands of Iowa, where she still lives and works. Studying both metalsmithing and fiber for her undergraduate degrees, Merkel-Hess received an MFA in metalsmithing from the University of Iowa under the tutelage of Professor Chunghi Choo.

Merkel-Hess creates what she calls “landscape reports.” Working with reeds, paper cords, and a mixture similar to papier-mâché, Merkel-Hess creates sculptural basket-like forms inspired by the natural surroundings in Iowa.