Second Year Critical Studies Cohort Visits Caldera
November 05, 2018
The second year Critical Studies students retreated to Sisters, Oregon for a five day residency at Caldera the week of October 15th. Six members of the cohort are currently writing their theses. With the December 21st due date looming, it was an opportunity to escape reality and get in touch with nature, while constructing their essays.
Caldera began as a kids art camp in 1996 with the intent of taking children with limited opportunities out of the city and giving them the chance to engage with creativity amongst nature. The camp provides an Artists in Residency Program during the winter months, January-March, opening the facilities to visiting artists of any discipline to engage with their practice surrounded by the mountains and nestled upon the lake.
For those in attendance the retreat was not only an opportunity to depart from their day-to-day obligations, but also a chance to reflect and grow within nature. Hikes along Rim Trail, morning cups of coffee beside the lake reminded them that this time of great pressure is not stagnant. Come May they will graduate and turn the page and begin a new chapter.
For now, they are focused on the final assemblage of their theses as the reality of the timeline sets in. Caldera was an opportunity to engage with research independently, disassociated from their day to day lives. The cohort is immensely grateful for their time at Caldera.
Photos and comments provided by second year student Hana Gustafson.
We had spectacular weather during our stay, reaching temperatures as high as seventy in mid-October. Clear skies and fresh air was much needed as we departed city life.
Our A-frame cabins were a cozy and welcoming escape.
On the last day of our stay, I woke before dawn and hiked up Rim Trail to watch the sunrise. A moment of reflection before we returned to reality. To the left, you can see a sliver of Suttle Lake.