Kim Curtis, Regeneration: Early Summer Prairie, 2025, oil and flashe on canvas, 189 x 155 cm (detail).
Kim Curtis, Regeneration: Early Summer Prairie, 2025, oil and flashe on canvas, 189 x 155 cm (detail).
© Kim Curtis. Used by permission.
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Curtis, Kim, and Regina M. Bichler. “One Woman’s Waste Is Another Woman’s Treasure: A Conversation with Kim Curtis.” Springs: The Rachel Carson Center Review, no. 10 (July 2026). https://doi.org/10.5282/rcc-springs-22668.
REGINA M. BICHLER (RB): As a researcher on waste and an art lover, it is a real pleasure to look at your works! I admire the deep, bright colors you use in the Regeneration series, and how you balance them with darker tones. Could you say a few words about this newest project?
KIM CURTIS (KC): Sure! My new series Regeneration: Painting the Prairie’s Renewal amplifies environmental success stories, particularly in the US-midwestern prairie where restoration has led to agricultural benefits as well as species comeback. We’re in a fugue-state of environmental distress, and I think it’s crucial to remind ourselves that many of the investments we’ve made are paying off. A quick search of “comeback species” in any region yields inspiring results, from salmon making their first run in 60 years up the unblocked Klamath River, to India doubling their tiger population in a decade. There is much more to do, but Regeneration reminds us that our systems do revitalize when allowed and encouraged to do so.
(From the article)
This article was originally published in Springs: The Rachel Carson Center Review. Springs is an online publication featuring peer-reviewed articles, creative nonfiction, and artistic contributions that showcases the work of the Rachel Carson Center and its community across the world.
2026 Kim Curtis and Regina M. Bichler
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