Artist Walks (3) is a series of guided walks for self-identified artists of all disciplines. Each walk explores a different way of moving along the trail and invites participants to share in a conversation about creative practice. The walks are geared towards artists of all levels and discipline. Each walk will last approximately 1 hour. Participants should bring notebooks in order to capture any thoughts, images, or ideas for future projects that might arise during the walk.
2019 Summer Walks
AVIS Deer Jump Reservation, Andover MA.
RSVP is required:
- Slow Walk: Monday, June 17, 6:30pm COMPLETED
- Ethics of Place Walk: Monday, July 15, 6:30pm COMPLETED
- Interdisciplinary Exploration Walk: Monday, August 12, 6:30pm COMPLETED
All walks will take place on the AVIS Deer Jump Reservation. Exact meeting and start location for the walk will be provided 48 hours in advance to all registered participants, along with date/time confirmation or rain-date information. Although participating in all walks is not necessary, artists are encouraged to do so in order to develop a shared experience and vocabulary. The minimum age to participate is 11 years old, and minors must be accompanied by an adult willing to participate as well (even if that adult doesn’t consider themselves an “artist”).
Slow Walk
The first walk in the series is a play on the recent phenomenon of “Slow Art”, in which visitors to museums are encouraged to spend more than the average 17 seconds viewing a piece of art. By lingering with a single piece for longer periods of time, one can create a meditative type of experience in which deeper contemplation can happen. On this woodland walk, participating artists will move together slowly along a trail in the Deer Jump Reservation, stopping from time to time to take in the minute details of the scenery and fully experience the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of the woodlands along the Merrimack River.
Monday, June 17, 6:30pm COMPLETED
Rain date: Monday, June 24, 6:30pm
Ethics of Place Walk
The second walk in the series will create a context in which participating artists can consider the ethics of place, particularly the ethics of making a piece of art for a particular place. As we move together along the trail, artists will be given prompts and questions that explore what it means to make a piece of art in or for a shared or public space. As we come to the end of the walk, we will share our thoughts with each other in a culminating group discussion. The goal is that whatever artists take away from this walk can be adapted and used for their future work on site-based of site-specific projects.
Monday, July 15, 6:30pm COMPLETED
Rain date: Monday, July 22, 6:30pm
Interdisciplinary Exploration Walk
The third walk in the series will give participants an opportunity to share with each other the ways in which their creative practices influence how they see, hear, smell, feel, and experience the world around them. At the start of the walk, we will develop a collective system of questions and prompts that will guide our subsequent exploration of AVIS’ Deer Jump Reservation. At the end, we will share our insights and discoveries with each other.
Monday, August 12, 6:30pm COMPLETED
Rain date: Monday, August 19, 6:00pm* (the rain date time is 30 minutes earlier than normal because sunset that evening is at 7:41pm)
Related Readings
For those curious about site-based and site-specific research practices, here are a few books I have found particularly insightful.
- A Field Guide to iLANDing: Scores for Researching Urban Ecologies
- Site-Specific Performance
- Art Place Japan: The Echigo-Tsumari Triennale and the Vistion to Reconnect Art and Nature
- Where is Ana Mendieta? Identity, Performativity, and Exile
Want more? Goodreads List: Site-based art and performance