MARCH 2008—Skill-share gatherings are being offered in several creative ways in the Traverse City and NW Michigan area. We are working with and learning from the Primitive Skills Core Group, continuing to develop our Wandering in the Woods curriculum. The Primitive Skills group have been sharing their knowledge of rewilding and survival/primitive skills. Their goal is to invite beginner minds and folks who are interested in mentoring, into a place of revitalization and relationship to the natural environment through exposure and development of basic skills like fire-making. Having taken the friction fire workshop myself, basic doesn't necessarily mean easy. The following are some photos taken at the skill-share, and also an announcement for the upcoming Tree ID workshop below…
UPCOMING, Skill-share with the PSkill Group:
You are invited to join us for a free workshop to be held Sunday March 30th at the Eco Learning Center from 10am to 12:00 pm. This skillshare is focused on the profound importance of trees as they relate to nature and the naturalist. We will hike through the woods as we explore tree identification methods as well as the edible, medicinal, utilitarian, and ecological aspects of trees.
Please RSVP and call 1-231-649-1906 or email shamelessfreedom@hotmail.com with questions.
ABOUT the Mentoring/Artist Apprentice Program:
Originally, the Artist Apprentice Program was designed to provide middle, high school and college aged students with the opportunity to work side-by side with the Little Artshram (staff) learning the techniques and skills necessary to participate in the creation of the Grand Traverse Earth Day Parade, a community-wide celebration.
In 2008 the Mentoring Youth/Artist Apprentice Program has expanded to also include the Summer Art-Farm Programs,and, the Wandering in the Woods Nature Awareness Programs. We share the belief, that when you give youth the freedom to interact with art-making and the natural world, encouraging their innate sense of curiosity and wonder, powerful learning happens. "Wandering in the Woods" is a metaphor as well for self directed learning, as young people follow their intuition and interests, they become immersed in new ideas and skills and learning comes naturally.
The Mentoring Youth/Artist Apprentice Program considers "wandering", or as we sometimes refer to it in cartoon class, as "Going off into la-la land" as an educational tool and not an excuse for not having prepared anything else to do. We believe that creating art, music-making, gardening, building permaculture design systems, becoming aware of how we are an intregral part of the natural world, and mentoring younger children are important and viable work-force job choices and a way to build necessary life skills.
As an extension of our mentoring and apprentice programs and with the guidance and assistance of the Alliance of Artists Communities, in 2008 we will be working toward developing an emerging Intern and Residency Program. As our home-base in Traverse City continues near the Old State Mental Hospital and the Village on the Grand Traverse Commons, the residency program will welcome professional artists into our community, integrating their talent and knowledge in our art, music, permaculture, nature awareness and mentoring programs.
