Silphium Film Expedition

Celebrate the work of The Land Institute & the students of Peabody/Burns High School through film and music this May 2024 with “The Silphium Plot” documentary art film. 

“The Silphium Plot” is a film with original music about the establishment of a silphium plot at Flint Hills Counterpoint Home Base by filmmaker Cyan Meeks and composer Susan Mayo in partnership with The Land Institute and the Peabody/Burns High School. The Land Institute’s Lydia Nicholson, Betsy Trana, and David Van Tassel have collaborated with artists and educators in support of this project. 

Silphium integrifolium or silflower, a perennial plant of the sunflower family and native to the Great Plains, is being researched at The Land Institute as a perennial oilseed crop in addition to its value as a drought-tolerant and erosion-preventing plant. It has the potential to be as productive as commercial oilseed sunflower with additional sustainability considerations since it mimics natural ecosystems.

The weather contingency venue will be Tabor College’s Performing Arts Center. The event is free to attend, with donations accepted by Flint Hills Counterpoint to help the organization carry out its land conservation project and support its mission to foster land stewardship through conservation, arts, and community programming participation and education expansion.

Click here to learn more.