Artist in Residency / Internship
Cassy Brown 21,
WWU,
Summer 2016
The value of
interning or spending an extended amount of time out at River’s Wish is
immeasurable. I feel so honored to have been able to do a summer internship at
the sanctuary. I am a recreation major from Western Washington University,
specifically focusing on outdoor and community recreation, with a focus in
eco-psychology. I am interested in the ways in which outdoor, experiential
learning and holistic models bring about balance in people by re-igniting, or
healing the human spirit. Aside from my university studies, I am a freelance
artist, and I thrive on finding ways to integrate art into all that I do. I
also believe in compassionate living, and the idea that all systems are connected
and influencing one another on micro and macro levels. As an educator, I strive
to raise up generations of visionaries who believe in the power of their
imaginations and dreams to create better realities for all beings through
systems thinking and finding solutions to the world’s problems.
A Day in the Life
A typical day at
River’s Wish would start with me waking up to the silhouettes of wildflowers
decorating the sunlit walls of my tent, and the morning-breaking sounds of the
resident roosters anointing the sanctuary with the possibilities of the new
day. I walk by Georgia’s equine
herd and say “good-morning” to many curious stares; and then the senior goats
who are soaking up gold light in sun patches and smiling their toothy, bearded
goat grins. In the bunkhouse, I have a space to make art, a bathroom, and a
small kitchen area. I make my coffee and breakfast and splash my face with
water.
Outside, Bernie the
ranch dog is already making his morning rounds, greeting all with youthful
enthusiasm. I walk to the bountiful Rabbit’s garden. At times ripe strawberries
decorate ruffled patches of plants; other times its plump tomatoes with
fragrant leaves; tall, vibrant sunflowers with infinite middles; or long,
spindled green-beans stretching further every day. I spend time weeding or
harvesting lettuce and kale for the rabbits. The less idyllic, but ultra-important
work is cleaning out the bunny barn with Kit. Fresh water, hay, lettuce, and
bunny feed make for happy rabbits.
Much of the time is spent sweeping up rabbit pellets and hay, and
cleaning litter boxes and dishes. Everything that gets swept from the bunny
barn goes directly to Rabbit’s garden to be composted and later used as vital
nutrients for plants to grow- a full cycle of death and rebirth the way nature
teaches.
I like to eat my
lunch in the garden, or in the outside area of the cathouse where Jasper and
the other kitties welcome me with pleas for ear-scratches, and Flower the
turkey greets me on the other side of the fence to tell me all about her day
and catch me up on bird gossip. After, I like to spend
time with the goats, pigs, and sheep. There is a natural leisurely way that the
animals behave that is contagious to those who take time to settle into the
flow that the animals know. Being at a sanctuary, the animals do not have
worried minds or aggressive demeanors. Even animals from cruel, neglected, or
traumatic pasts have been re-opened to trust and love. Vincent VanPiglet grows
more into a Vincent VanPig every day; it has been exciting to watch him grow up. I like to pour water into his mud hole
and watch him prance over, big floppy ears bouncing with every step. Vegan and
Valentine, the two Yorkshire pigs, love to get sprayed by the hose on hot days,
and Vegan even loves to open her mouth to drink straight from the hose water!
The rest of my hot
summer afternoons I try to spend indoors where it’s a bit cooler. I work on
designing curriculums for Art, Animals, and Garden classes, painting a mural
for the sanctuary, logging internship experience, and working on other art
projects. I spent a lot of time in conversation with Kit and Pete, the founders
of the sanctuary: both artists and educators themselves. I appreciated the
humbleness, gentle nature, insight, and compassion of these two.
Art, Animals, and Gardens Summer Classes
I had the pleasure
of teaching summer art classes at the sanctuary through River’s Wish and
Spokane Art School. For years, I have dreamed of ways to use art, co-creation,
conversations, plants, animals, and leisure services to nourish minds and
spirits- to heal and to spark flames inside of one another. I designed
curriculums where the students and I spent time working with different mediums,
learning art techniques, creating from observation and imagination, and spending
time amongst the animal residents as well as in the garden.
The beauty of being
in a primarily outdoor, hands-on environment is the immersion and natural
stimulation, less influenced by technological stimuli, and more influenced by
the intrinsic value of the Earth and nature’s lessons. There is room for
discovery, curiosity, exploration, imagination, play, and freedom in making
art- in being outside. Kids get to
experience (often for the first time) what is it like to touch a pig’s wiry
hair and rough-skinned back. They experience pulling a carrot out of the Earth:
washing it, tasting it. They are close enough to get licked by a cow’s rough,
slimy tongue and see it bat its long, pretty eyelashes. They use clay and
natural materials to mold, shape, and put together their own animalistic
creations, and they are told that the possibilities are endless- that they are
the artists and they have choice, autonomy, and respect. I see something click within these
students’ minds. Their spirits grow and enliven. I feel it too. Teaching in
this type of holistic environment has given me peace, joy, and inspiration as
an educator, activist, and artist. I hope to continue this work of art-based,
compassionate, outdoor education.
Artist in Residency
My personal artwork
has blossomed in this truly sanctioned environment. My soul-fire has been
re-lit, and I am pulling inspiration from an abundance of sources. The work
here is large enough for my spirit. It feeds me with life-force, and leaves me
hungry for more soul-food. The art classes are in part what started this
beautiful frenzy. In being in an environment where I was expected to make art with
the students every day, I was able to sink back into the space inside of myself
where the channel for creative energy is opened. I taught lessons on step-by-step
acrylic paintings, which resulted in me having four finished paintings of
animal residents. The pieces accentuate the sentience of the animals and their
full capacity for life and love.
I found joy, style,
and confidence in my artwork through creating a mural to be displayed on-site
at River’s Wish. The mural includes portraits of past and present sanctuary residents,
as well as some of the native and garden plants at the sanctuary. The hours spent on the mural allowed me
to sink into an artistic flow where time ceases to exist, and I become one with
the art forms. These projects dedicated and inspired by the sanctuary have
influenced my art outside of the sanctuary as well.
While being an
artist in residency, I had the opportunity to hold my first art show in Spokane
– an opportunity presented by the parent and business owner of one of the art
students I taught. I sought out the guidance of local experts in the field: art
directors, framers, print-makers, skilled artisans, art educators, and artist
marketing organizations. I began to trust myself enough to try out new mediums.
I started working with watercolours (a medium I previously feared) and the
addition of ink and gel pens. My
pen and ink work found a bolder voice of transcendent quality, deepened by the
connection to my environment and this community (plants and animals
included).
As I move forward
in my life as an artist, I feel I will always come back to this space in my
heart. I will remember the ingredients to a healthy soul; the types of
environments, people, work, and play that keep my spirit lively and keep my creativity
flowing.
Thank You
Thank you Kit and
Peter for welcoming me into the lives of yourselves and the animals at the
sanctuary. I am so appreciative of your kindness, expertise, ethics, activism,
passion, love, openness, dedication, and wisdom. Thank you to the volunteers,
students, and community members who I had the pleasure of connecting with, and
for making my experience in Spokane so meaningful. I wish for all the best as
the sanctuary continues the mission of animal rescue and outreach. I will be
visiting as often as I can!
Love, Cassy
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