Deconstructing the Boundaries: A Future of Land & Food Resilience
Through this symposium, we hope to explore and address these three key questions:
- How do we evolve our personal, communal, and institutional relationships with land ownership and stewardship?
- How do we address and heal the deep distrust that has taken root in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities?
- How do we acknowledge and appreciate the ways in which African, Brown, and Indigenous cultural and social systems, as well as spirituality exist outside of settler colonial paradigms?
Founded in 2018, Indigo Arts Alliance (IAA) is a Portland, ME-based, Black-led organization dedicated to professional development and amplification of Black and Brown thought-leadership, vision, and creative practice. As an organization of social practice artists, scholars, and activists, it seeks to strengthen multiracial democracy by cultivating and celebrating art as a key resource for healthy communities, connecting global and local Black and Brown artists, providing an affirming environment for the creation of artwork across disciplines, and promoting engagement through participatory events that bring artists' and activists' work into public conversation on social justice, culture, and community. IAA is the only Black-led, established arts incubator in northern New England. That being the case, they fill a critically important gap in representation lacking in other regional arts and cultural institutions.
Deepening your connection to nature through moving meditation offers enormous benefits for personal well-being. In this gentle class, experience how the simple practice of walking mindfully through a forest can provide deep serenity. By engaging with all five senses, we enhance awareness and presence. Follow Susan Bickford, certified guide in the ancient Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest therapy/forest bathing, as she gives you the tools to begin your own meditation practice. The walk ends with a tea ceremony.
Ever wondered what wildlife is living in your backyard? In our seasonal series of field-study classes (register separately for each), participants will learn more about the creatures that live in or around their garden, looking for shelter, food, and water. Join us and see summer animalactivity first-hand, an experience that will provide deeper insight into and appreciation for their roles in the ecosystem, better informing us how humans and wildlife can live together more harmoniously. This month, we’ll primarily focus on the diverse world insects, especially pollinators and beneficials, then learn about the mammals that are feeding and starting their families during these lazy days of summer.
Monday-Wednesday, August 14-16,10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Have you been gardening with hydrangeas and experienced challenges with blossom performance? Are you wondering what kind of hydrangea you have? Join Horticulturist Courtney Locke to learn more about gardening with hydrangeas in Maine, including best selection, cultivation, and care. Tour the Gardens and see the diverse display of our different hydrangea species and cultivars, and learn firsthand what environmental conditions are needed to successfully grow certain species and varieties.
Monday-Friday, August 21-25,10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Meet the Beetles! (No, not those Beatles, but these are just as compelling—we promise.) With over 400,000 different types, explore the largest group of insects on the planet through form and shading, creating a beetle line drawing prepared for color. Coleoptera models, photos, and online resources will be a source of endless creativity and inspiration.
Working in watercolor or colored pencil, bring those intricate beetles to life as you learn to create iridescence, shimmer, and beautiful shine along with those tricky translucent wings.
Butterflies, moths, and skippers? Oh, my! Members of the Lepidoptera family are rich in texture and pattern, making excellent models for line drawings. We’ll focus on anatomy and creating a natural positioning of a butterfly or moth from pinned specimens and photos. Students will end the day with line drawings prepared for color.
In watercolor or colored pencil, students will work from their own line drawings and explore color-applying techniques that create form, texture, and patterns in those kaleidoscopic Lepidopteran wings.
We know insects play a vital role in pollination, and in this class, we’ll apply that knowledge to our compositions. Create a piece featuring a specific plant and insect of choice, and learn tips about researching plants, pollinators, and creating a visual life cycle.
Viburnums, offering essential habitat for wildlife and providing attractive seasonal floral and berry displays, are an important genus for our New England landscapes. Join Lon Ames, horticulturist for the Haney Hillside Garden, to learn about native (and a few nonnative) viburnums, and the sizes, habit, and characteristics that make them stand out from the crowd. We’ll view the collection on a walk through the Gardens and talk about their landscape benefits.
Tuesday-Thursday, September 5-7, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
