Eli Whitney Museum

Join Eli Whitney Museum & Workshops Artist-in-Residence, Kat Wiese for this can’t-miss 1-week workshop.

In the Field Journal camp, we will both learn to observe and use our observations to gather information about the world around us, namely East Rock Park. Starting with a sensory walk through the park to acquaint campers with the many sounds and perspectives from which to encounter the living world.

Campers will make a handbound field notebook and watercolor sketchbook where they will make observations from the macro to the micro. Throughout the week campers will take notes, experiment with natural pigments and painting substrates, make plant pressings, Plein air drawings, and watercolor paintings at different sites in East Rock Park. This will include studies of materials at the microscopic level, a portrait of the habitat of an individual living thing, and finally a joint panorama at the peak of East Rock Park.

This camp will involve two field trips.

Campers will go to the Yale Peabody Museum and the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG). At the Peabody students will see field journals from the museum’s collection, learn about the local ecology, and make drawings from selections of the museum’s holdings. At the YUAG students will view botanical illustrations from the special collections as well as landscapes from the Hudson River School. The camp will culminate in an exhibition/sharing of student findings about the ecosystem of East Rock Park.

Campers should be prepared to hike and be outdoors all day.