KNLT, in collaboration with writer Erik Reece, and visual artist and writer Zoe’ Strecker, recently hosted an artists’ retreat on Pine Mountain. The outing was aimed at engaging a diverse group of artists around our Pine Mountain Wildlands Project in hopes that the beauty of the mountain and our efforts to protect it would inspire their creativity. The retreat was held at the beautiful Pine Mountain Settlement School and included a full day hike at Bad Branch State Nature Preserve where artists experienced unique forest communities, spring wildflowers, the fern garden and the incredible view from High Rock on the ridgeline summit. This was the first of what we hope to be many such outings. Wildlands were the original inspiration for art and there is a long history of art associated with conservation efforts. We are glad to be carrying on the tradition with these artists.
Thank you to the Snowy Owl Foundation for helping fund this retreat.
We were honored to have the following individuals participate:
Whitney Baker, writer and visual artist
Mike Frasca, potter
Valerie Sullivan Fuchs, new media artist
Mike Goodlett, visual artist
Lily Lyons, violinist, songwriter, and sometimes poet, currently studying at Berklee College of Music
Bobbie Ann Mason, author
Trina Peiffer, poet
Timothy Polashek, a composer, music technologist, and professor of music
Erik Reece, author and professor of writing
Kathleen Shelton, philanthropy expert and consultant
Katerina Stoykova-Klemer, writer
Zoé Strecker, visual artist, writer and professor of art
Melissa Muir Sutherland, visual artist
Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, author
Petersen Thomas, painter