Maybe it’s just that we’ve read The Great Gatsby too many times, but something about the promise of crisp autumn air in September has us feeling that particular sense of renewal and creative beginnings F. Scott refers to. With that in mind, for the past month we’ve been especially pondering the Commonwealth Asset of “Arts and Culture”. Ogallala Commons defines Arts and Culture as “the application of creativity to capture, memorialize, and express the beauty of a place, the emotions of the people, and to tell the stories of our past and present or imagine our future.” This covers everything from the beauty of the landscape, to the work of a local artist, to our community celebrations that occur each year, to the dances and unique traditions that make up the life of the people.
This application of creativity is vital to vibrancy in our communities; to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, not because it has inherent “survival value” in the way food or water might, but because it “gives value to survival”. Art, in all its forms, helps us process, share, and celebrate our culture. It helps us tell our stories in ways that bring us together and facilitate conversations that might otherwise never happen. Creativity adds a depth and meaning to our communities and our lives that can be found in no other way—and it can be woven into every aspect of life and every other Commonwealth Asset.
One of our favorite examples of this intersection of art and Commonwealth is from OC Collaborator, artist, and educator, Professor Carol Flueckiger (Lubbock, TX). Professor Flueckiger brings “expertise of ecoart concepts and painting, drawing, cyanotype techniques to custom artworks and outreach workshops,”
Carol guides students of all ages—those who already consider themselves artists and those who discover, through her, that perhaps we all are—in creative exploration of our region’s land and water. Whether she is traveling across the aquifer with college students as they create portfolios inspired by their experiences, or leading a Drawing Playa Wetlands workshop for the public at the OC Playa Classroom, Carol uses art as a way of seeing, understanding, and connecting with place and culture.
Her work creates unique opportunities to celebrate the landscapes we love while also opening conversations about the care required to sustain them. In that way, art becomes more than an expression of place. It becomes a way to know a place, to connect with one another through it, and ultimately, to imagine—and help create—its future.
Coming Soon: Year-End Commonwealth Campaign
It’s true — the final quarter of the year has arrived! We’re gearing up for year-end giving season and excited to share a few opportunities to give as 2026 comes to a close! For more than 20 years, Ogallala Commons has focused our energy and our work on building the Commonwealth Assets of the Great Plains to foster vibrant rural communities through food, water, and people systems. Every year, we are honored that so many of you choose to support this work. As we begin to reflect on 2026, it’s never been clearer that the work must continue — so many exciting things have moved our communities forward this year, and there is so much more to do on the horizon! We can’t wait to share more stories of the communities and collaborators you’ve allowed us to support this year. Thank you for your continued support of our mission and work.
The Commonwealth Campaign is both an expansion and simplification of our annual collaboration with The Panhandle Gives and Colorado Gives campaign. We are excited to participate in both of these amplification opportunities again in 2026 during their giving windows, as well as offer the opportunity to give directly through our PayPal anytime, all in one place at ogallalacommons.org/give.
If you are considering a year-end gift using Donor-Advised Funds, we are happy to help walk you through the process. If this is your first time using DAF, it is important to note the timeline ranges from 1-6 weeks, so it may be helpful to start early if you prefer your gift to arrive before December 31st.
If you have any questions about year-end giving, please feel free to reach out to:
Megan England, Director of Development
megan@ogallalacommons.org | 719.257.3612
Save the Dates: Hereford Creek Care Days Begin October 24th!
As the year begins winding down, we’re excited to announce that we’re doing some working field days focused on creek care in Hereford, TX, this Fall! These events will take place one Saturday per month for the rest of the year: October 24, November 21, and December 12. We’ll assemble at Veterans Park in Hereford, and you’re invited!! We hope to liason with and support locals interested in caring for their watersheds. Individuals, school and community clubs, church groups, volunteer groups, and the interested public are invited to assist.
We’ll start with trash cleanup, with the eventual goal leading to the construction of natural infrastructure in drylands streams, as demonstrations. Help learn, show and educate how to build cheap, small scale, safe to fail, so-to-slow, spread & soak stormwater, rehydrating the local landscape.
See you there!
Photo: ongoing progress after recent rains at Wildcat Bluff Landscape Rehydration Demonstration Site
