Dust to Apples: The Colors of the Eastern Plains
In a world increasingly disconnected from the land, Dust to Apples: The Colors of the Eastern Plains is a powerful art project that seeks to heal our relationship with the natural world. In collaboration with Adams County Parks, Open Space, and Cultural Arts, artist Melody Epperson explores her family’s history and challenges as farmers during the Dust Bowl, what it means to “work the land,” and guides us on a journey of reconnection with the earth.
Throughout spring and summer 2025, Epperson will immerse herself in the farms in eastern Adams County and throughout Historic Splendid Valley to talk with farmers, learn their stories, and collect natural materials from their lands to create pigments. Items collected will spend months curing to produce an array of colors that mirror the land. Epperson will use fruits like berries, plums and sand cherries to make her inks, and grind flowers and plants, stones, dirt and bones for pigments, make charcoal from branches, and continue to discover new techniques and materials throughout the process.
Her efforts will culminate in a body of work highlighting the physical and emotional texture of the land and will fade with time. “Just as our connection to the land has faded, so will the natural pigments in this collection of paintings. They will show the richness, the scars, and the echoes of the labor the land holds,” says Epperson. Dust to Apples: The Colors of the Eastern Plains will be on view at the Taza Gallery in the Adams County Government Center December 2025 – March 2026.
Get Involved
Community members are invited to follow Melody’s ongoing blog where she takes a deep dive into her own personal history, offers insight into her artistic process, and shares updates on her time exploring Adams County.
There will be several opportunities for the community to meet Melody and try painting with her homemade dyes and inks, including Welby Days, Bennett Days, Hometown Days in Strasburg, Festival Latino and other events throughout the County. Stay tuned for more details.
Partner Farms
- Lazy B Acres Alpacas
- Berry Patch Farms
- Flying B Bar Ranch
About Melody Epperson
Melody Epperson is a passionate storyteller and land artist dedicated to exploring the complex relationships between people and the natural world. Drawing on personal history and collective memory, Melody Epperson creates immersive art that reflects both the beauty and fragility of our connection to the land. Learn more about Melody Epperson at www.melodyepperson.com.
Dust to Apples: The Colors of the Eastern Plains is a collaboration between Adams County Parks, Open Space & Cultural Arts and artist Melody Epperson, and is funded by Adams County Percentage for the Arts Program and SCFD.
