The University of Utah’s Environmental Humanities Education Center announces its second annual Centennial Valley Arts Celebration.  This yearly event is an invitation to visual artists, photographers, writers, and multi-disciplinary creative folks to converge in Centennial Valley, Montana in the beautiful fall season.  The purpose is to be transformed, inspired and revel in the beautiful landscape of the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, its colors, dramatic skies, and abundant wildlife.

This 2013 Celebration is co-sponsored by Artists of Utah 15 Bytes

Featured Painting Instructor: John Hughes, nationally known Utah landscape painter and plein air teacher will be the featured art faculty this year.  He will inspire the painters among us with presentations, demonstrations, and act as in-the-field painting coach.  Visit his website for more information: http://johnhughesstudio.com/blog

“Capturing the effect of light in a painting does more to convey a sense of reality than all the detail an artist can heap on a canvas.” John Hughes

ART CELEBRATION PACKAGES:

Each of the following packages include 3 nights lodging and delicious catered meals beginning with dinner on Thursday and ending with lunch on Sunday.

Package #1: Lodging and Food and Plein Air Painting with John Hughes

Private Cabin or private room for single or couple with bath: $620

Cabin with shared bath: $550

Student Dorm Bunk Living: $375

Package #2: Lodging and Food without John Hughes Instruction

Private Cabin or private room for single or couple with bath: $420

Cabin with shared bath: $375

Student Dorm Bunk Living: $200

SPACE IS LIMITED!  REGISTER SOON TO SECURE A PLACE!

In addition to the registration form, please fill out the liability waiver and email to mherdtull@gmail.com or fax to 801.585.5190

In the transcendent wilderness setting of Centennial Valley,  Rev. Tom Goldsmith from the First Unitarian Church, Salt Lake City and Dr. George Handley from Brigham Young University will combine their perspectives on the meaning and implications of a personal spiritual relationship with our planet. Facing our growing awareness of environmental degradation, the workshop will explore changes in human consciousness and examine our own personal cosmic narratives. How each of us regards these narratives establishes the way we see our role in the fate of the earth and shapes the ethical choices we make.

Through lectures and discussions, wilderness hikes, lake and wetland exploration, reading and writing exercises, and arts-based activities, the workshop will provide opportunities for reflection and the emergence of a more engaged appreciation for the creation. Eco-spirituality will offer  opportunities for the unfolding of a deeper sense of wonder regardless of one’s formal religious background.

Dr. George Handley has taught in the department of Humanities, Classics and Comparative LIterature at BYU since 1998. Active in efforts to enhance dialogue about environmental problems in the West, he has work with such organizations as South Utah Wilderness Alliance and Utah Power and Light.  His most recent book is Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River (University of Utah Press, 2010).

Rev. Tom Goldsmith has served as the minister of the First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City since 1987. After receiving his Masters of Divinity from Harvard University in 1975, he served two churches in the Boston area. He has published several pieces on environmental issues, and his congregation, through its Environmental Ministry Program, has offered the wider  community a wealth of education and activism. Tom serves on the Board for Utah Interfaith Power and Light.

REGISTRATION

The $625 fee per person includes lodging, food, and programming. Programming fees include workshops,  guided hiking, canoeing, and multiple ways of exploring the extraordinary Centennial Valley. Space is limited to 16 participants.

A deposit of $100 is required to secure your registration. The balance is due upon arrival at the Center. The registration deposit is refundable if you cancel 60 days before the event.

Limited scholarships are available, made possible by our sponsors as well as special rates for double occupancy. Interested parties should contact Director, Mary Tull at mherdtull@gmail.com.

In addition to the registration form, please fill out the liability waiver and email to mherdtull@gmail.com or fax to 801.585.5190

Students earn 3 credit-hours through completion of an intensive nine-day course. Participants are selected through a competitive application process that includes a 750-word statement of what “Ecology of Residency” means to them, and an online application.

Applications for the 2013 course will be due on May 6, 2013.

For more information: http://www.hum.utah.edu/eh/?pageId=1115

Date/Time: June 15-20th 2013: Additional dates on Weber campus are required

Faculty: Dr Brian Barber (brianbarber1@weber.edu)

Weber State Continuing Education/Credit Course

For more information and registration forms please contact Dr. Barber: brianbarber1@weber.edu

Dates: October 3-6

The Environmental and Sustainability Studies Program offers a broad interdisciplinary education.  Students are required to take classes from many different departments and colleges across campus.  This provides students with a great deal of breadth, and exposes them to a multitude of ideas, theories, methodologies, and perspectives.  The great pedagogical challenge for such programs is to provide coherence and an over-arching framework for that diverse learning experience.

The objective of the capstone course is to meet that challenge.  The course will emphasize and critique prevailing theories and models of environmental and sustainability issues, and apply what they have learned in other courses using these models.  Students will also have an opportunity to collectively brainstorm and network as to how to apply concepts and theories and discuss their relevance to their education, their role as responsible citizens, and the job market.  Finally students will complete a project that utilizes their conceptual skills and what they have learned in their courses.

For more information contact:

The program provides students with a broad-based understanding of social, cultural, ethical, historical, communication, and literary perspectives and with a focus on how these humanities perspectives intersect with and influence public policy, scientific, legal, industrial, and corporate concerns. As such, the proposed program complements other graduate degrees offered in the western region, which investigate environmental issues from social scientific, technical, and scientific perspectives.

To learn more about this nationally recognized graduate program, visit our website:  http://environmental-humanities.utah.edu/index.php

Click on any photo to see a bigger version of the image.

Vicki Hammond Photos

Kelsey Sather Photos

The Environmental Humanities Education Center has kicked off an exciting 2012 season. So far, we’ve hosted a variety of groups such as: The University of Utah’s Ecology of Residency class, Weber State’s Writing and Drawing on the Land class, members of The Humane Society’s Friends of the Wild, as well as a participants in a workshop on Eco-spirituality. In this old West setting, guests admire the flora and the fauna of this unique high-elevation valley, while also exploring their own inner landscapes, creating artwork, and developing strategizes to further conservation.
One of our most frequent follow-up comments relates to the difficulty guests have transitioning back to their urban lives, and regular schedules. Our hope is that the time spent here, in this great open space, will long continue to be a source of inspiration and motivation as we face the environmental challenges of this century.

Date/Time: July 26-August 3

Faculty: Sian Griffiths

Weber State Continuing Education/Credit Course

For more information and online registration:

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