We will gather at 4:30 pm at the MacLeish Field Station in West Whately to hear from interdisciplinary artist, designer, and woodworker Gina Siepel (she/they). Gina’s artistic practice reflects an engagement with place, history, queer experience, and ecology, and their work integrates conceptual concerns and craftsmanship with a focus on wood as a natural and a cultural material. Gina will talk about their ongoing work To Understand a Tree, which they have created while an artist in residence at the MacLeish Field Station. This is a multi-disciplinary project that focuses on the dignity of a living tree, its network of eco-systemic relationships, and the ubiquity of the material of wood in design and daily life.
We will also learn about the field station from Field Station Manager Paul Wetzel and have an opportunity to hike the trails together afterwards. The Field Station (part of Smith College) is a 250-acre patchwork of forest and pasture land on land conserved by Kestrel Land Trust. The place provides opportunities for members of the Smith College community to pursue artistic inquiry, environmental research, outdoor education and low-impact recreation. Students help steward the land, design programs for their peers and participate in making key decisions in the operation of the field station.
Afterwards, we will gather at 6:30 pm at Tree House Brewing Company in nearby South Deerfield for networking, food, and beverages. Google Maps Link
Accessibility information: Both spaces are wheelchair accessible. An ATV is available to transport people between the parking area and the Bechdel Environmental Classroom at the MacLeish Field Station. If there is heavy snow the Field Station may not be fully accessible. Please reach out with any questions or concerns to katie@kestreltrust.org.
IMPORTANT: Parking is limited at the MacLeish Field Station, so people will need to carpool. Organizers strongly recommend coordinating carpooling with other attendees from hotels in Amherst or the Tree House Brewing Company parking lot. If you are looking for people to carpool with, please contact sarah@hilltownlandtrust.org.
