Signal Fire is thrilled to announce Wide Open Studios, a college-level wilderness arts program. Our innovative courses build on Signal Fire's successful programs leading artists into the backcountry.
Starting in Spring 2013, Wide Open Studios will offer immersive wilderness trips fusing visual arts with adventure and natural beauty. Our MFA trip will draw students from a variety of programs to spend a week in California's Anza-Borrego Desert— day hiking, sharing readings and discussions about this exceptional landscape, and making art in response.
This year's summer course, California Stars, will send a group of eight students and two instructors on a monumental journey through some of the Golden State's most stunning and remote wild areas. From Big Sur to the Klamath Mountains and then south along the Sierra Crest, we'll complete five linked backpacking trips while discovering each area's ecology and history, and investigating the potential for an art practice sited in the wilderness.
For more information and to stay informed on program schedule and applications, email ryan@signalfirearts.org or join the Signal Fire email list here.
Wide Open Studios 2013 Calendar:
Coyote Canyon MFA Trip
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
March 24-30, 2013
course begins and ends in San Diego, CA
Eligibility: any student currently enrolled in an MFA or MA program.
http://www.signalfirearts.org/wide-open-studios/coyote-canyon-mfa-trip
Online applications will be available December 1, 2012. The deadline for submissions is midnight on January 1, 2013. The application will be comprised of short essay questions and the submission of work samples, as well as a list of three references (not letters). Finalists will be selected by Wide Open Studios instructors and will complete a short phone interview prior to acceptance.
Accepted participants will be notified by January 15, 2013.
Costs: This program is offered at-cost. The fee of $335 includes instruction, a course reader, simple food, and transportation to and from San Diego, CA to our wilderness destination. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from San Diego, specialty food items, and personal camping gear. Wide Open Studios can assist in organizing shared gear and provide advice for gear purchases.
California Stars: Summer Immersion Program
Five successive week-long trips throughout California
June 16-July 21, 2013
course begins and ends in Berkeley, CA
Eligibility: anyone aged 18 and over, regardless of current college affiliation.
Online applications will be available December 1, 2012. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm on December 31, 2012. The application will be comprised of short essay questions and the submission of work samples, as well as a list of three references (not letters). Finalists will be selected by Wide Open Studios instructors and will complete a short phone interview prior to acceptance.
Accepted participants will be notified by January 15, 2013.
Costs and Payment Schedule:
The cost of California Stars is $3,305.
This does not include fees for institutional credit.
This does include transportation to and from all sites, food during the first trip, and a weekly food stipend thereafter (students will plan and shop for their own meals on subsequent trips).
A staggered payment schedule is available: $1,100 due to Signal Fire on March 1, April 1, and May 1, 2013.
