California's desert in late winter: windswept vistas host fiery sunrises; shaded canyons hide waterfalls and bighorn sheep; nights boast brilliant stars and coyote song. This biome has long been a lure for artists and wanderers, but it’s also the target of exploitation by the US military industrial complex, mining corporations, and energy development.
This course uses drawing and painting as an entry point for understanding a complex and fraught landscape. We’ll spend the first half of the trip in a stunning desert wilderness, adjusting to outdoor living. Texts and short projects will inform our discussions about how modes of representation shape our cultural connection to the land. For the second half of the week we’ll be on the move, taking day trips to some less idyllic spots that show the scars of the west: the collapsed resort community of the Salton Sea, border checkpoints, and agricultural sacrifice zones. We’ll contrast these areas with the extraordinary terrain of Joshua Tree National Park and a matrix of nearby wilderness areas.
Two esteemed visiting artists will join us to share their work and perspectives on representing the compromised landscape: Hillary Mushkin, creator of the project Incendiary Traces, and Eva Struble, whose recent work employs textile designs from and in collaboration with migrant worker communities.
Participants: Brittany DeNigris, Zhiwan Cheung, Gabe Kalmuss-Katz, Laura Todis, Sophia Stid, Aubrey Edwards, Grace Chen, Amanda Ross, Veronica Reeves, Mia Fuer, Eve Jakabosky
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