Natural State art/science workshop

Join artist/filmmaker Steven Rowell for a hands-on workshop exploring the meeting point of art, ecology, climate change, and digital tools!

Beginning with a short introduction to NATURAL STATE, Rowell’s experimental documentary project about climate change, research infrastructure, and Minnesota landscapes, the program will continue outdoors with a guided visit to Cedar Creek’s BigBio, BioCON, and RESCUE experiments. Rowell will approach these sites not as a scientist, but as an artist and interpreter, helping participants observe and experience them in new ways. Participants—including kids, using their own phones or a parent’s phone—will learn how free apps like Polycam can turn everyday devices into simple 3D scanners for capturing trees, flowers, and other objects both at Cedar Creek and at home. The workshop may also include simple observational and sound-based exercises, including sound-recording apps that help participants listen more closely to the subtle rhythms and daily changes of the reserve.

Project webpage: https://steverowell.com/NATURAL-STATE

Ages 7+ welcome. No prior experience is needed. Free and open to the public. Please dress to be outside in areas that may have ticks - long pants, study shoes, weather-appropriate layers on top. Insect repellant and sunscreen recommended. Bring your own lunch and water bottle.

Steven Rowell is a Minnesota-based artist, filmmaker, and educator interested in how landscapes hold stories about ecology, infrastructure, and change over time. Using video, photography, sound, and spatial tools, he creates projects that invite people to look and listen more closely to the world around them.

Steven Rowell is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature