The Nature Conservancy invited Meindertsma to do a project in the USA with praire grass. The project 49 Prairie Plants is a book that celebrates the different kinds of prairie grasses found in
the endangered Nachusa Grasslands near Chicago. Each of the 49 pages in the book in the book is made from a characteristic kind of prairie grass picked from Nachusa Grasslands. The
name of the plant is laser cut from the page and each sheet has the plants seeds
integrated within it, turning the book into a potential new prairie itself.
After much experimentation with
the processes of making paper from grass, Miendertsma collaborated with a local
craftswoman to turn every plant into paper. The Nature Conservancy
have worked tirelessly on the restauration and management of this prairie and
the book is intended as an homage to the generous work of the volunteers there.
COMMISSIONED BY: The Nature Conservancy
Special
credits: Nachusa Grasslands and volunteers, Hook pottery paper