Taking a Closer Look: The Ecology of Summer Lake Through an Artist’s Lens Workshop (June 25-30, 2025)

During this 5-night workshop led by artist/scientist Jerri Bartholomew, we’ll use the tools of art and science to explore how water, and lack of water, shape the unique ecosystems of Summer Lake. In the field, we’ll map and examine the plants and soil from two ecosystems that feed the lake, as well as from the dry lake itself. In the studio, we’ll examine locally collected material using lenses and microscopes to see complexities you can’t see with your naked eye. Using drawing and gel printing, and/or a medium of your choice, you will explore how perception changes with scale and how data can be incorporated into and inform art. In this workshop we will not only explore Summer Lake, but the waters that are associated with it: the streams that flow from the Fremont-Winema Forest (Harvey Creek), and the ODFW wildlife refuge through which the Ana River flows. This workshop teaches how to view the ecosystem at different scales – from a landscape scale map of the lake and waters that feed it, to fine structures viewed under a microscope. This information will then be incorporated into the artwork to provide context and visual richness. Participants will keep a notebook and will create a collection of annotated prints or booklets describing the different ecosystems.

Participants will leave this Workshop with: An appreciation of the diverse ecosystems that contribute to Summer Lake; the ability to integrate scientific data with artistic expression; an understanding of how art and science inform each other.

Click each cabin below for the full workshop agenda/details and cabin descriptions.

Cancellation policy: $50 cancellation fee. Six or less days before arrival NO refund; seven-14 days before arrival 50% refund; 15-28 days before 75% refund.