Weaving together ecology and art, this class offers participants an opportunity to explore the plants and wildlife around them. Throughout history, both scientists and artists have used field journals to note their observations of the natural world and develop their ideas.
Participants will learn methods of observing and noting that may allow them to have a different experience of their proximate environment and see things that they may not have noticed before, or look differently and more deeply at plants and animals that are familiar.
We are offering this program for free!
During the first week, July 6-9, we will focus on botanical exploration. The second week, July 12-16, will be all about the wonderful world of birds. Each day at 10:00 am, participants will receive an email with an attached creative investigation for that day.
New this Year! We will be able to offer the drawing prompts in Spanish as well as English.
Though these explorations will be mostly independent, there will be two forty minute virtual meetings per week for the teenagers, as well as two forty minute virtual meetings per week for the adults. This will give participants an opportunity to share work with one another, ask questions, and discuss findings.
Registration is open through June 25, 2021.
Field journals are used to note observations of the natural world.
Materials
Participants are responsible for providing their own drawing materials. We encourage students to have a dedicated sketchbook for this class and can provide links to recommendations. Drawing materials might include pencils, pens, colored pencils, markers, or whatever you have on hand that you would like to use.
Program Leader
Art & Science will be led by Hara Woltz, back for her 5th summer leading the program.
About Hara Woltz
Cary's Fall 2015 artist-in-residence, Hara Woltz is an environmental artist and scientist that uses a variety of media to address the destruction and conservation of ecological systems. Her solo and collaborative projects investigate the complex relationships between humans and other living organisms. Field research is integral to the creation of her work. Informed through direct immersion, she documents, questions, and mitigates the impacts of human constructs—perceived and concrete—on the environment and its inhabitants.
Hara's art works reside in a number of private and corporate collections, and she has exhibited in spaces ranging from Sotheby's to Storm King Art Center. She has worked on a variety of ecological and habitat design projects throughout the world, including the Asia Trail at the National Zoological Park in Washington, DC, habitat restoration for native species on the North Island of New Zealand, giant tortoise and albatross habitat assessment and restoration in the Galápagos, and bio-cultural resilience in the Solomon Islands. Her work has also appeared in a variety of publications, including ORION, Biological Conservation, Popular Science, and Landscape Architecture Magazine.
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
