A trip to the prairie connects young Black artists to nature

Azzy Shaw is not a “nature person,” but on her first visit to a prairie land, she embraced the landscape and all it has to offer.

“Honestly, if we actually took the time and patience to learn about [nature] and not try to take advantage of it, we will understand how peaceful it really is,” Shaw said.

Shaw is a poet with St. Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective. Every year, the members go to Shaw Nature Reserve in Franklin County, Mo., to immerse themselves in nature.

Many of the young Black artists living in St. Louis said their access to nature is limited. The Peace in the Prairie trip is often their first chance to engage with it.

As a youth artistic coordinator with Story Stitchers, Branden Lewis has been to the prairie a few times. He said the stark difference between city and nature sounds still surprises him and his peers.

“You know city life can be really loud,” Lewis said. “It's just noise, just noise all the time. And you don't even realize that you're in noise all the time until we come out to a place like this and realize how quiet it is.”