Art at Cedar Point is currently taking applications for its artist in residence program and enrolling students in its summer course offering.
Art at Cedar Point is an interdisciplinary program of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln that blends art and science through undergraduate field courses, artist residencies and community outreach programs at the university’s Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS) near Ogallala, Nebraska. This innovative and experimental project is aimed at connecting creative people with rural communities and natural ecosystems to learn how each can benefit the other.
The Art at Cedar Point Artist in Residence program is aimed at artists and writers interested in the intersection of art and science. Hosted at CPBS, the residency offers artists and creative writers the opportunity to engage and interact with researchers, professors and students of the biological sciences. Both established and emerging artists and writers are invited to apply.
“The residency program at Cedar Point Biological Station is a great opportunity for writers and artists because not only is it important to set aside time for yourself to focus on your work and grow as an artist, but Cedar Point is a place where creative people in fields of art and science can have conversation and collaboration,” said Hannah Demma, the coordinator of Art at Cedar Point.
The application deadline for the residency program has been extended to March 31, 2018. For more information or to apply visit https://go.unl.edu/bm25.
This summer’s art course at Cedar Point is “Making Your Mark: The Figure in Nature, from Prehistory to Today.” It’s offered as an undergraduate course (ARTP 383, 3 credits, ACE 7) or as a Graduate and Professional Course (ARTP 896, 3 credits). The course is open to both undergraduate and graduate University of Nebraska–Lincoln students, as well as K-12 teachers.
Associate Professor of Art Santiago Cal will teach techniques, materials and concepts to explore nature through artistic expression in this two-week, field course taught at CPBS.
This mixed media course will explore artistic depictions of the figure in and on nature. Students will use a variety of processes, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and performance, to create works of art within this particular subject. Each student will be assisted in developing a series of works using the Cedar Point Biological Station as the source environment. A lecture series examining how artists have interpreted this subject will also be embedded in the course.
“Three years ago, I took a printmaking and book-binding class from Karen Kunc at Cedar Point, and it really changed my view about what a college art course could look like,” Demma said. “It was my first glimpse into what an artist residency might feel like. Having the luxury of taking two weeks to do nothing but eat, sleep and breathe my art and ideas helped me to prioritize making time for that throughout the rest of my college experience and helped me establish my studio practice today. Cedar Point is full of surprises, and so is western Nebraska. It’s so much more than people give it credit for.”
For more information on the course or how to register, visit https://go.unl.edu/zeo5.
CPBS is a field research facility and experiential classroom, and is located off campus in western Nebraska, near Lake McConaughy and the city of Ogallala. The station sits in the heart of the western high plains near the juncture of tall grass and short grass prairie, on the south edge of the Sandhills and the North Platte River valley.
For more information on the Art at Cedar Point program, contact Demma at Demma.Hannah@gmail.com.