CCA News
Summer in New Mexico
Posted on Friday, February 3, 2012, by Carol Pitts
New Mexico: Lama Mountain Ranch / Sustainability Through Creative Practice
Instructor: Jeff Gibson
August 6–20, 2012
A visiting artist at CCA last year, Jeffrey Gibson presently resides in New York City. Lama Mountain Ranch / Sustainability through Creative Practice provides students with a special opportunity to work with Gibson in an extraordinary venue.
Gibson will only be on the CCA campus Monday and Tuesday, March 5 & 6, to meet with students interested in the New Mexico program. So far, an information session has been scheduled on Tuesday as below.
Information Session on the New Mexico course will be held:
Tuesday, March 6
SF, GC3, 3–4 p.m.
Description
This course is a collaboration with Herekeke, a nonprofit arts organization located on a private ranch in the remote community of Lama, New Mexico, 20 miles north of Taos. Much of Lama Mountain Ranch’s 100 acres is under conservation easements with the American Farmland Trust; it hosts a variety of public programs exploring ideas of sustainability, from a free summer camp to a community farm, and ranch animals. Lama enjoys wide-open vistas and dramatic mountain weather at 8,000 feet in elevation in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southern reaches of the Rocky Mountains.
Students read about, and join in daily group discussions of, visions and histories of various forms of utopian communities, while also exploring histories of failed utopias and theories of dystopia. In addition, students spend time drawing and gathering materials to create site-specific and site-responsive works. These may include temporary installations and works that improve the ranch and its programs, such as murals on cabins and concepts for architectural structures. All works will be documented in photographs.
Students have the opportunity to visit permaculture and sustainable architectural projects in Lama, the historic Town of Taos, world heritage site Taos Pueblo, the Harwood Museum (where there is a collaborative site-specific room by Agnes Martin and Donald Judd), surrounding self-sustaining communities, and SITE Santa Fe. There are also many opportunities for hiking, natural hot springs, pond swimming, and exploring the nearby Rio Grande Gorge.
Time is scheduled for students to work independently, share in critique and discussion, work on the farm, mindfully prepare meals, and interact with the local community. Trips are scheduled to see other parts of the landscape beyond the ranch. The course is structured for students to pursue both an interdisciplinary studio practice, while also taking part in a “critical thinking” seminar type atmosphere—but over a campfire in the mountains of Northern New Mexico under a magnificent sky!
Bordering Carson National Forest, students live in rustic, cabin-style, shared housing for the duration of the class, four students per cabin. These accommodations are very basic; students must provide all bedding and towels. Meals, cooked outdoors in an open-air kitchen, are prepared collaboratively between the students, visitors, and residents. The facilities at Herekeke include digital print and printmaking studios, although the use of these facilities and interaction with master printer Lilliana Mejia is only available for an additional fee (see Program Fees below).
Students will be assigned readings and other preparation prior to the scheduled class time in New Mexico.
With its focus on critical thinking, this course should be of interest to a broad range of disciplines, including architects, drawers, painters, photographers, printmakers, sculptors, and students working in craft-based mediums.
About the Instructor
Jeffrey Gibson is a painter and sculptor living and working in Brooklyn, New York. He received his Master of Arts degree from The Royal College of Art (UK) in 1998 and moved to New York in 1999. His paintings and sculptures have been shown nationally and internationally at museums, galleries, and art fairs. Selected exhibitions include No Reservations at The Aldrich Museum (2006), Off the Map at The National Museum of The American Indian (2007), SONOTUBE at The Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum (2007), Solution at Diverseworks (2009), and Totems at Sala Diaz (2009).
Gibson received a visual arts grant from The Creative Capital Foundation in 2005, was awarded The Eiteljorg Museum Fellowship in 2009, and a Percent for Art commission by The Department of Cultural Affairs in New York City in 2010. His work has been featured and reviewed in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Boston Globe, ArtNews, Art Lies, and The Brooklyn Rail.
Gibson is currently a Visiting Critic at Cornell University and an adjunct professor at the California College of the Arts. His work has recently been included in exhibitions at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Plug-In Institute of Contemporary Art, The Peabody Essex Museum, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Gibson’s work will be included in an upcoming group exhibition at The Museum of Art and Design (NYC). Solo exhibitions will be held at Participant Inc. and American Contemporary Gallery in 2012 and at The National Academy Museum in 2013. Gibson has been recently named a 2012 TED Foundation Fellow.
Prerequisites
Undergraduates: completion of sophomore level by summer 2012 and instructor approval
Graduates: instructor approval
In addition students must be in good academic, conduct, and financial standing for the 2011–12 academic year.
Course Satisfies
For undergraduates, this course satisfies a Studio Elective, Upper Division Interdisciplinary Studio, or Interdisciplinary Critique.
For graduates, this course satisfies a Grad-wide Elective, Fine Arts seminar, or Studio Practice.
Program Fee
Tuition for CCA summer 2012 courses is 3 units (the same unit price as for the preceding fall/spring 2011–12 academic year). The nonrefundable registration fee for summer school is $50.
Program fee includes:
3 units, housing, food, transportation from Albuquerque airport to and from Herekeke, ground transportation while at Herekeke
Program fee does not include:
Transportation to and from New Mexico or an optional printmaking workshop with Lilliana Mejia ($150 payable directly to Herekeke).
In-person registration begins on Thursday, March 1, for all summer study abroad courses. Students should register no later than Friday, March 30.
Enrollment is limited. Interested students should contact Jeff Gibson right away to start the approval process for registration.
All CCA Summer Study Abroad courses (including the New Mexico and New York Studios) are coordinated by the Office of Special Programs.
How To Register
Students must register in person at the Student Records Office; tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration. Payment can be made by check (payable to CCA), Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express (if you are applying for a loan, please review the Financial Aid section below).
Because registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, interested students are encouraged to register early to ensure their place in class. Instructor approval to attend the New Mexico Studio course does not constitute registration.
Once eight students are registered in the course, we will be able to give registrants the go-ahead to purchase airline tickets—just one more reason for students to register as soon as possible! Often, the sooner airfare is booked, the less expensive the price.
Registration deadline: Friday, March 30
Students may register after this date on a space available basis. Please check with the Office of Special Programs, 510.594.3710, after this date.
Refund deadline: Friday, March 23 (no refunds after this date)
Withdrawal deadline: Friday, May 4
All students who register for the CCA New Mexico Studio course are required to sign a release form at the time of registration.
Nondegree Students
CCA's summer study abroad courses are designed for current CCA degree students; however, third-year undergraduate or graduate art students from other four-year colleges may be able to enroll on a space-available basis after March 30. If you are not a CCA degree student and are interested in enrolling, please contact the Office of Special Programs at 510.594.3710 after March 30.
Financial Aid
Students enrolling in summer courses must complete the FAFSA and a CCA summer financial aid application. Please submit your materials as soon as possible; the quicker you do so, the sooner you will receive an award notification.
No applications for summer financial aid will be accepted after Monday, April 30, 2012.
Once students have submitted a summer financial aid application and a FAFSA, they can go to the Student Records Office to register for the course.
Student Accounts has a list of students who have applied for financial aid and can review the estimated financial aid award amounts prior to registration. Charges in excess of estimated or actual financial aid award amounts must be paid at the time of registration.
Estimated financial aid award amounts are subject to change based on your 2012-13 FAFSA information. Final award notifications will be available after all required documentation has been submitted and reviewed by the Financial Aid Office and you have enrolled in your summer course(s).
Enrollment changes may result in adjustments to your summer financial aid.
Changes to your summer schedule after your first course has started may be considered a withdrawal and could impact your eligibility. Students are responsible for all charges that result from a withdrawal. For more information, please visit Policies or contact the Financial Aid Office prior to making course changes.
Students who will be completing their degree requirements in the summer may not be eligible for the full loan amount.
Questions
Office of Special Programs
Oakland campus, Ralls 201
Nina Sadek
Dean of Special Programs
510.594.3773
nsadek@cca.edu
Carol Pitts
Assistant to the Dean of Special Programs
510.594.3732
cpitts@cca.edu