Through workshops, residencies and events, the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology provides time and space for place-based reflection, inquiry and creation at the intersection of art and ecology.
The Reflections program at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology is a 200-year-long project devoted to exhibiting place-based creative responses to the rich and varied landscapes in which Sitka is embedded; these landscapes include the Cascade Head Experimental Forest (an extensive, multi-aged Sitka spruce- Western hemlock forest), the recently restored Salmon River estuary, and three coastal headlands. We invite each resident and workshop who chooses to participate in the program to submit a response to a site of their choice within these landscapes. Their responses become part of a collective body of work in an online archive. The collection seeks to record shifting societal and cultural views of the environment, new ideas in art theory and technique, changes in the sites’ physical appearance, and the unique backgrounds and viewpoints of the participants.
Sitka’s Residency Program, October through May, provides artists, writers, musicians, architects and natural science scholars the opportunity to conduct their work while deeply engaging with the environment of Cascade Head. Up to six residents at a time (up to 28 per year), from different disciplines and stages in their careers, live and work on campus for up to three and a half months.
Sitka’s Workshop Program, May through September, provides people of all levels the transformative and joyful experience of making art and exploring their connections to nature. Sitka’s Youth Art Programs provide in-school hands-on monthly Art Education programs for approximately 500 students (PK-6) in Tillamook County.