Marking a Path: Sustainability and the Arts
Posted in @theU, March 25, 2021
GIZHIBAA GIIZHIG | Revolving Sky at the 2020 Under the Radar Incoming! Created by All My Relations Collective core collaborators Ty Defoe, Lux Haac, Marika Kent, and Katherine Freer with Guest Collaborator Daniel Banks. Photograph by Skye Morse-Hodgson.
Finding long-term solutions to complex problems is not just about the destination. It’s about marking the path for others to follow so they can discover the next solution. Named after the human-made piles of stones found at trail markers around the world, “Cairns” is a new art residency at the University of Utah will mark the progress made as we strive for sustainability.
UtahPresents, the campus inter-disciplinary performing arts presenter, is partnering with the Sustainability Office and the Global Change & Sustainability Center on the project. The staff in each department have brought their collective resources and expertise together to make Cairns a success. Together they will convene artists, scientists, students and community organizers to explore complex sustainability questions from the ground up.
“What makes Cairns so unique is the idea that multiple projects will occur over time, or even in conjunction with one another that lead to the next step, then to the next answer and eventually to the solutions to the environmental problems we see today,” said Brooke Horejsi, executive director, UtahPresents. “Our collaborative partner offices have all embodied the OneU approach to come together to find new and innovative ways to explore and solve sustainability related issues.”
Where we have been
The Cairns artist residency is unlike many others and builds on the foundation of the frequently used model. A typical artist residency creates a dedicated space for the artist to escape to and create. Of those residencies, a narrow subset includes artist and scientist collaboration. These residencies are often for a short period of time or have artists exclusively focused on science-driven storytelling.
