Field
Stations

The curriculum will begin with questions about what it means to do interdisciplinary and integrative studies fieldwork. Through a mix of site visits and lectures, participants will become familiar with concepts of deep time, geology and water in the U.S. contemporary urban southwest. The group will develop drawing, visualization and mapping tools, as well as social science, policy and ethics strategies.

Participants will then travel from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Silverton, Colorado to observe a range of climate zones at various altitudes as well as agriculture and industrial operations. The team will stay near Durango, Colorado for the majority of the trip. There, participants will learn about local history, landscape ecology, hydrology, environmental education and environmental justice, systems thinking, forest and fire ecology, and landscapes of energy and extraction. For each focused site-based module, participants will be guided through exercises aimed at mapping and measuring the systems of interest, with field observations becoming the basis for further synthesis in the classroom.

Participants will work individually with facilitators to shape and develop a project that addresses some of the issues observed in the first half of the program. Students may be in contact with stakeholders and local partners throughout the project development, applying their new understanding of site issues to an immediately relevant creative or research agenda.

Scholarships that cover tuition, accommodations, local transport and group meals will be provided for all participants for the duration of the workshop. Participants should be prepared to cover the cost of their travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico and incidentals during the workshop.

Participation in the Field Stations workshop also requires a $300 non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Participants unable to afford travel expenses may apply for a travel stipend; please contact us directly at fieldstations@wright-ingraham.org to discuss scholarship options.

Participants should bring clothing and gear for a range of desert and mountain climates with hot days and cool nights. Closer to the date of the trip, we will send a packing list with suggested supplies and additional accommodations details.

Field Stations workshops are crafted by an interdisciplinary group of collaborators, but they originate in the architecture and design disciplines. We welcome non-design participants to learn how visual modes of thinking can aid their practice, and we hope to push design-oriented participants to think beyond human and visual scales to address the pressing problems of our times.