Our Artist in Residence program has been a cornerstone of IslandWood’s effort to connect students with nature through the arts, sparking creativity and environmental awareness in unique and meaningful ways. Last year, we hosted eight incredible artists, each bringing their own expertise and perspectives to our School Overnight Program (SOP) students.

From Anita Spaeth’s mystery contour drawing and nature journaling exercises, which invited students to see nature in unexpected ways, to Hannah Meadows’ use of collage to highlight the transformative possibilities of everyday materials, our students explored diverse artistic forms. Elizabeth VanDuine encouraged them to see nature in its intricacies through paper cutting, while Vicky Edmonds inspired students to express their inner worlds through poetry. We were also fortunate to have Kamyar Mohsenin, a Seattle-based teaching artist and filmmaker, join us. Kamyar introduced students to nature sculptures, sharing his passion for the natural world and encouraging students to see nature as a creative space. Miriam Shiroma-Kentner, who specializes in natural fiber arts, block printing, and leaf printing, worked with invasive plants as a form of stewardship and taught students that “so many things can be made into art” and that self-expression is the core of creating art.

Reflecting on the range of workshops and projects last year, it’s clear that our Artist in Residence program created an environment where students, graduates, and instructors could deepen their relationship with nature and their own creativity.

Building on Last Year’s Success

As we look ahead to the 2024-2025 school year, we’re excited to expand the program further. This year we will be facilitating art workshops for our graduate students. Workshops will be led by the education team as well as visiting artists. These workshops will be aimed at expanding their educator toolboxes, so they feel empowered to incorporate art into science lessons, try new art mediums, and channel their inner artist.

We believe that arts integrated lessons help our SOP students build deep connections with natural spaces and their community, which is a crucial step in creating the next generation of environmental stewards. The goal is to set our graduate students up with the knowledge and skills they need to confidently do this important work.

We invite artists from all disciplines to apply and take advantage of this unique opportunity. For more details on the application process and program benefits, please visit our website.