immerse
WILSON SPRINGS
Thanks to everyone who joined us for IMMERSE!
Nature and Arts Festival
September 2019 at Wilson Springs Preserve
Fayetteville, Arkansas | View Schedule & Map
IMMERSE yourself in nature at Wilson Springs Preserve, a 121-acre prairie wetland nestled in the heart of Fayetteville. Escape the bustle of urban life and surround yourself with spring-fed streams, tall grass prairie, oak forest, and the native plants and animals that make their home in the largest wetland remnant left in Fayetteville. After seven years of restoration by the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, removing invasive species and allowing native plants to thrive, Wilson Springs Preserve will open to public access on Saturday, September 7th, 2019, with the nature and arts festival IMMERSE: Wilson Springs.
IMMERSE: Wilson Springs will commemorate the opening of the preserve, offering events for the public to enjoy throughout the month of September. IMMERSE will explore the connection between nature, arts and wellness through small- and large-scale art installations, interactive performances, guided and self-led hikes, natural art making activities, workshops, and wellness sessions.
Several local artists are contributing works for IMMERSE, including Stuart Fulbright who, along with mathematician and artist Chaim Goodman-Strauss and artist Jacey Dunaway, will be constructing a sculpture of woven river cane and native vines that will serve as a a bird blind and nature viewing area on the preserve. Fenix Fayetteville artist Annie Edmondson will be contributing a metal sculpture depicting some of the preserve's inhabitants. Architect and educator Emily Baker is leading the design and fabrication of a steel sculpture that illustrates the amount of water filtered by the wetland every second, and Craig Colorusso’s solar powered sound installation Sun Boxes will combine landscape and soundscape for a one of a kind immersive experience.
"Poppy Seed" installation by Stuart Fulbright, Chaim Goodman-Strauss and Jacey Dunaway
New music ensemble Thought Form Collective will present a percussive performance that meanders through the preserve, inspired by the juxtaposition of the tranquility of nature and the increasing pull of technology. The trio Sycamore will share songs and stories rooted from their lives as “back-to-the-landers” in the 1970s, and Trillium Salon Series will present a special classical music performance. Craig Colorusso will also perform his 5-6-hour piece “Ladybug Cathedral,” with music for electric guitar, bass clarinet and clarinet.
The festival will also feature several creative opportunities for artists of all levels throughout the month. Fine art photographer Diana M. Hausam will lead two workshops aimed at capturing the beauty of nature from behind the camera lens, while writers will have the chance to express the poetic nature of the preserve with a workshop led by poet Gwendolyn Hill. Other hands-on events will include demonstrations of wild clay sculpting, natural pigment painting, sun print making, and other natural art projects.
"Sunboxes" by Craig Colorusso
Thanks to these supporters of IMMERSE: Wilson Springs!
