Critical Studies Caldera Writing Retreat
November 22, 2019
The Critical Studies class of 2020 recently spent a week at Caldera for a writing retreat.. The retreat is an opportunity for students to take a break from their day-to-day obligations and reflect on their research in a beautiful natural setting. Walking the trails and spending time by the lake created an opportunity for solitude and contemplation. Shared meals and conversations helped the cohort connect and bond. There were nightly fires in the hearth.
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.
This year students work was guided by Professor Taylor Eggan and Program Chair Shawna Lipton. Visiting artists Sidony O’Neal and Bart Fitzgerald joined the cohort for the week. O’Neal and Fitzgerald provided students individual feedback, partook in nightly dinner discussion, and shared some of their own works in progress.
This annual retreat is an important part of the Critical Studies curriculum.