Inspiring young people towards greater awareness through art, community and the earth Home Page  The Art Ranch in a Nutshell About The Art RanchLogo
Program Activities
Sessions
Logistics
Directors/Staff
ABOUT THE ART RANCH The Art Ranch is a summer youth camp that offers programs in the arts, Native American culture and sustainable living. Youth from diverse neighborhoods across the country, along with students from local reservations come together for this expansive learning experience that promotes and advances artistic development, cultural exchange and environmental awareness.The Art Component has been developed by professional working artists who have combined their unique skills, knowledge of their craft, and real life experiences to create their courses. In collaboration with The Arts program, the Native American Component is taught by Native American teachers. These teachers impart their history, values, and intimate knowledge about the earth through their art, story telling and ceremonial ritual. As the students enrich their self awareness through creative exploration, the Native American component helps them extend that awareness to the earth and other living things, while embracing community and aspiring to leadership. Hand-in-hand with the Art Component and the the Native American Component, we offer a Sustainable Living Component that educates young people about the environment and specific renewable energy strategies through hands-on workshops taught by energy professionals. These workshops are designed to encourage young people to embrace healthy energy alternatives and introduce them to the many aspects of sustainable living. Also this component will be a platform whereby the students can use their imaginations, and their deep connection to the earth to experiment, create, and develop new ways of living on the planet. (A think tank of sorts.) The collaboration of these three elements will create a learning experience that promotes creativity, leadership, respect for the earth, and preserves cultural traditions through cooperation, peer-to-peer teaching and the elder-student relationship. Our vision is to extend this program to other Native American regions in the country, promoting this collaboration of the Arts, environmental awareness, and preservation of Native American culture.
Click here to Contact Laurie Pettigrew, Director
The Art Ranch is a 501 ( 3 ) C educational, nonprofit organization THE ART RANCH LOGO Ganma is an aboriginal metaphor for “the mixing of two streams” The Aboriginal traditions see a powerful meaning in the meeting and mixing of a stream of salt water from the sea (western knowledge) and a stream of fresh water from the land (indigenous knowledge) combining both forces to lead to a deeper understanding and truth. The metaphor has surface, and deep levels of meanings. It applies to our inner world as well. The mind, heart, body and spirit are different tributaries of knowing and are integral to our experience and the evolution of our consciousness. This symbol is also used in Physics as the symbol for fluidity.
Ganma Phone - (323) 932-1808
The Art Ranch is a 501 ( 3 ) C educational, nonprofit organization THE PROGRAM ACTIVITIES The Art Ranch will be located on a beautiful spacious site with mountains and wide open meadows. The site will consist of an array of safari type tents and teepees with a corral for the horses. Paths will lead to all the tented facilities and there will be designated quiet areas on the site. In the middle of camp will be our meeting circle with a circular camp fire and a large area for seating. The site has kitchen, bathroom, and shower facilities. There will also be an infirmary tent.
Morning Program The whole camp meets for exercise and meditation. Instructors will lead the group through a series of movements incorporating elements of tai chi, yoga, and martial arts. Accompanying some exercise are colorful balls. Red Bird or special guest will lead a morning meditation. Mid Day Activities At our near by lake we will have swimming, canoeing, and tubing. An over night river rafting trip will be planned for group 3 on The Rio Chama. The Art Ranch Evening Activities At The Art Ranch, we encourage inclusiveness and intimacy. Our evenings consist of: camp fire shares, stories told by the elders, musical jams and sing-a-longs, short story/poetry readings, movies under the stars, and star gazing. In addition, our hand picked college students from U.N.M. will create and organize fun games and evening activities. Because we honor space and alone time at The Art Ranch, the evenings will be an opportunity for this as well. The Art Ranch’s Ganma Festival Weekend The final weekend of the 3 week session is the Ganma Festival. Ganma, the coming together of different streams, happens when people gather to share ideas in order to reach a deeper knowing and understanding of themselves and each other. Group 3 majors of Music, Visual Arts, Theatre, Circus Arts, Native American Culture and Sustainable Living come together during the 3 week session to create a group piece called The Ganma Project. This will be an evening event at The Art Ranch where local families will attend a barbeque feast and the performance. They will also have an opportunity to view the various exhibits of our student’s work. Following The Ganma Performance there will be music, and dance into the night. Closing Ceremonies with Group and Individual Projects The last day of our Ganma Festival Weekend will be dedicated to our staff and campers. We will watch all the performances and have an outdoor barbeque feast followed by an intimate closing ceremony under the stars that will be full of surprises. Phone - (323) 932-1808
The Art Ranch is a 501 ( 3 ) C educational, nonprofit organization SESSIONS
The Art Ranch will open Summer 2008 with 3 sessions, each 3
weeks. There will be 90 children at each session, ranging in age
from 9-17.
One third of the children will be from Native American reservations and two thirds from diverse neighborhoods across the United States.
The Arts - Music, Theatre/Dance Story, Pottery/Visual Arts, and Circus Arts
Hands-on Structural/Architecture Program Hands-on Permaculture Program Other Activities Native American GamesOutdoor Movie Nights Story Telling/Poetry Reading Sing-a-Longs/Jams Star Gazing Swimming, canoeing, tubing Group 3 over night river rafting trip Phone - (323) 932-1808
The Art Ranch is a 501 ( 3 ) C educational, nonprofit organization LOGISTICS The Art Ranch will be located on a beautiful spacious site with mountains and wide open meadows. The site will consist of an array of safari type tents and teepees with a corral for the horses. Paths will lead to all the tented facilities and there will be designated quiet areas on the site. In the middle of camp will be our meeting circle with a circular camp fire and a large area for seating. The site has kitchen, bathroom, and shower facilities. There will also be an infirmary tent. The students and counselors will sleep in the teepees and the directors, teachers and guests will have safari tent lodging. A sweat lodge will be built on the premises and our campers will build horno ovens in which we will bake our breads and turkeys for our special feasts. Teepees - the teepees are 16’ in diameter and will sleep 7 campers and 1 counselor. The kids will sleep on raised cot-type beds. All students will bring their sleeping bags/pillows. Tented Lodging - these tents will house 5 teachers. Each spacious partitioned room will have a blow up 2’ air mattress, side table, chair, lamp, and place for clothes. The tents will be set up with donated furniture, rugs, etc. We will supply blankets and the teachers will send their own pillows and sheets ahead of time to the site. Kitchen Tent - has been created by Garcia’s Tents and the kitchen itself is being created by Sheila Shepherd. It will be well equipped with stoves, refrigerators, sinks and work spaces. There will also be an outdoor grill for barbequing. We will have tented or outdoor dining depending on the weather. Food - we will use organic vegetables and fruits from local markets and Sysco Food Services. The menu at the camp will consist of good healthy foods. We are very mindful about sugar intake and will provide creative desserts with low sugar for our campers and teachers. Kitchen staff – locals Shower Tents - there will be separate shower tent/ dressing room facilities for our girl campers and boy campers. Laundry Service - the service will provide towels along with laundering services for our staff and camper’s clothes. Hospital - is in close proximity to site. Most of the staff will be first aid certified. Transportation - on arrival and departure day, buses will be scheduled to pick up our campers at the Albuquerque Airport. Phone - (323) 932-1808
The Art Ranch is a 501 ( 3 ) C educational, nonprofit organization THE SYMPOSIUM
The symposium will bring together
the governors and council members of the 23 tribes of New Mexico with The Art Ranch’s
artist/teachers, Native American teachers, and environmental educators. Prior
to the feast, the teachers will do short presentations about their programs,
including demonstrations of their craft. The symposium will be an opportunity
to bring everyone together and share ideas. The following tribes will be participating in the symposium:
Phone - (323) 932-1808
The Art Ranch is a 501 ( 3 ) C educational, nonprofit organization THE ART RANCH INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION Mai Lai, Director
Mai, Vietnam 2005
“Express Yourself Project”- Hoi An, Vietnam, Summer 2005 - a two week
artist/teacher and family volunteer program that taught Music, Photography,
Theatre, and Visual Arts. E.Y.P. served 70 street kids and orphans and created
an arts program for the MAPS Center. Art
supplies, equipment, and musical instruments were donated to the Center for the continuation of
“Express Yourself Art Program”. The song “We Are All One People” created
by artist/teacher Freebo and the children of Hoi An was nominated for best children’s song for “The Just Plain
Folks Music Awards”
“Katrina Kids”- Dream Center, L.A., CA. 2005 - a program that brought art therapy to the refugee
children and families of hurricane Katrina.
“Christmas in Mexico”- Mother Maria Sophia’s Girls Orphanage, Tecate, Mexico, 2005 -
a program that brought to the Orphanage Arts & Crafts, cookie and tree decorating, games,
music, Christmas presents, Christmas carols and a holiday party.
Phone - (323) 932-1808
The Art Ranch is a 501 ( 3 ) C educational, nonprofit organization |
Red Bird
(director of the Native American component and
consultant to The Art Ranch), the Native American teachers, and the council
members of their tribes, are initiating an outdoor symposium and feast in the Jemez Mountains
in support of The Art Ranch and its vision.