Karen McCoy

Detail of rammed earth solid, 4 x 4 x 4’

detail of surface of rammed earth solid

detail of rammed earth wall, the largest form on site-6’8”T x 6’w x 2’ thick (the height of the tallest student working on the project)

Detail of entrance, moss from forest floor lifted and transplanted into the sculpture.

Detail of woven hazelnut walls.

Detail of interior with  bench woven around living trees.

View of central spiral sited on campus green at Kansas City Art Institute.

Detail of dry stone masonry.

Pictured is central open spiral.

Detail of lintel structure and stone lined water channel.

Water collection pool.

Detail of water drainage line markers.

Gallery installation: walls painted with found local earth pigments, indigenous materials and texts about the site.

Installation detail geology diagram drawn on wall, with stone, core samples and text, found local pigments.

Installation detail, with printed site map/guides, wall map, pigment swatches and complete information guide to the interns' research.

Installation detail, Census maps drawn with soil collected on site, land ownership 1875-present, 8 x 10" each on "Clayboard".

Detail, map of land ownership 1885, drawn with soil collected on site, 8 x 10" on "Clayboard".

Detail, map of land ownership 1945, drawn with soil collected on site, 8 x 10" on "Clayboard".

Detail, map of land ownership 1996, drawn with soil collected on site, 8 x 10" on "Clayboard".

Installation of prairie plants, above and underground (L) and of native plants with medicinal uses by the American Indians (R), with map and text concerning tribes that previously lived on the landscape around Salina, KS.

Detail of prairie plants, above ground and underground, with "roots" constructed by the artist using string, glue, natural latex rubber, soil, one sample burned to demonstrate prairie fires still used to control growth.

Flags, 24' T on fence rows, one mile x one mile.

Dug earth and flags, 5 x 5 x 2'.

Trail Marker/ Earth Core Sample extracted from exact site it marks, 4' x 2" diameter.

Cleared remains of drystone farmhouse cellar, with shelf containing hand and electric appliances, blender, electric mixer, electric can opener, whisk, grater, potato smasher and hand crank can opener.

Detail of tying at shoulder height of the artist.

Detail of tied grasses.

Site in plaza outside of Joseloff Gallery, sounds of traffic and voices bouncing off of architecture.

Detail of ear trumpet surface.

Site in plaza outside of Joseloff Gallery, sounds of traffic and voices bouncing off of architecture.

cliff site overlooking North Branch of Park River.

river’s edge site.

site view at the rivers edge

Lake view, Roger Williams Park.  3,000 clamshells, wood, steel pyramid 10 x10 x 8'. Steel float 12 x12 x12'.

Detail of clamshells.

UPROOTED  for exhibition Ex Natura II curated by Jørn Ronneau, Randers, (Jutland) Denmark. 1994, site view, wood, uprooted trees, thatched roof, 12 x 5 x10’.

Wood, uprooted trees, thatched roof, 12 x 5 x10’, carpentry: Jorgen Kristiansen (all joints notched and pegged) thatching assistance: Ian d’Revbenkil.

Detail interior.

Detail interior thatching.

Detail interior thatching.

Detail exterior thatching.

Sited in edge of damaged lake, North/South orientation. Wood thatched local reeds and heather, 9’9” x 4’8” x 8 H.

East /West approach path to hilltop site, planted beech forest found with one row removed, approximately 450’ x 10’.

Wood, thatched reads, wheat straw, mud (crop plants, wild fruits, native herbs in log, embedded within and resting on stone bed) 9.5x 5 x 8’.

Detail of rammed mud solid showing row of “ledeblck” (guide stones from glaclation) upon which embedded log rests.

Hilltop site after one year.

Hilltop site in snow, as it eroded in winter of 1994.

Lake site in snow, winter 1994.

Work-in-progress McCoy transplanting randomly growing Arrowhead Leaf plants.

View of gridded pond made by transplanting Arrowhead Leaf plants, 40’x50’.

Detail, Arrowhead Leaf plants in gridded pond.

Detail, of sod embedded in lawn to extend grid lines from pond and gridded pond.

Lines of Kentucky blue-grass sod embedded in the variegated lawn, extending grid in pond, each line show 9”x15’.

Cul de sac, braided growing meadow grasses, path, 15’ long x 2’ wide x circle 13’ diameter with 12”H woven edge

Dead end path, braided growing meadow grasses, 15’ long x 20” wide x12’ high.

Bleached grass/inverted sod sightline leading to view of agricultural landscape, 8” x 75’ (bleached line) and 16” x 75’ (inverted sod).

Corn pit effigy honoring Native American presence on site, pit lined with bark and filled with corn, 3’ deep x 18’ diameter, mowed site line rear ground.

Detail, interior of effigy corn storage pit.

View of cleared silo remains marking site of 1st pioneer, land owner Mary Hackley,, weaver and widow, 12’ diameter.

Canoe effigy (Iroquois dugout), woven grapevine with mud and grass, 9 x 2 x 3’

Detail, canoe effigy.

Detail of one raft.