CREATIVE PLACEMAKING RETREAT
Join us for a day of writing, walking, and connecting with other like-minded people. Immersed in this tranquil environment, you will gather valuable knowledge and inspiration from botanists, writers, artists, somatic movement practitioners, and architects.
Where: Como Orchards, Darby, Montana.
When: Saturday September 11, 2021, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
With a special presentation and potluck to follow.
$150.00 per person. Some scholarships available.
The Land
Como Orchards is a 250 acre ranch in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, on the traditional homelands of the Bitterroot Salish band of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). As a young architect, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a community here for “noted savants” to connect to, and be inspired by, the land. A mix of cattle grazed prairie land, apple orchard, timber, and meadows, Como Orchards invites you to dangle your feet in a cool mountain stream and connect to the wild.
Schedule
9:30 a.m. welcome tea and coffee
Placemaking introduction
Walking the land
Writing with native plants
Lunch
Indigenous traditions
Creative writing & art practices
Reading, sharing, and close
*
6:30 p.m. Open to the public. Potluck, presentation and Q&A "Frank Lloyd Wright in the Bitterroots" with Ayad Rahmani, Professor of Architecture at Washington State University / $20 suggested donation (60 min.)
People
Bristol Baughan
Bristol Baughan is a professional leadership coach, speaker and executive producer of Emmy®-winning and Oscar®-nominated films at GOOD for HBO, Paramount, and Showtime. She was a TED Fellow in India and traveled through China as a delegate for the State Department Documentary Showcase. She is founder of Inner Astronauts, inviting people to shift from the relentless pursuit for "more" (achievement, money, love) and into aligned purpose and authentic contribution.
DJ Lee
DJ Lee is a writer, scholar, artist and regents professor of English at Washington State University. She has published nine books including her memoir, Remote: Finding Home in the Bitterroots and the anthology The Land Speaks. Recent artist residencies include the Arctic Circle Artist Residency, Women’s Studio Workshop, and the Wilderness Art Collective. Lee is a scholar-fellow of the Black Earth Institute, a think tank dedicated to earth, spirit, and social justice. She runs the eco-outreach publication witness wilderness.
Larry Hufford
Larry Hufford is a professor and botanist at the University of Montana. His research focuses on how landscape complexity and geography shape diversity’s evolution – such as mountain ranges, rivers and canyon systems in the West – applies to conservation and the consequences of climate change. Hufford’s interests range across the arts, humanities and sciences, and he enjoys hiking, backpacking, birding and photography. He is currently writing a book about Bears Ears National Monument.
Ayad Rahmani
Ayad Rahmani is professor of Architecture at Washington State University. Rahmani is a licensed architect with years of professional practice experience. His research focuses on inquiry into the areas of global urban development. His recent work on Dubai looks at the emergence of that city less as a place and more as a postcolonial construct seeking to counteract years of colonial domination. He is currently writing a book about Frank Lloyd Wright and nature.
Logistics
If you're not local to the area, you can book in local accommodations through AirBnB Hamilton, or you can camp on the property for an extra $40.00 per night. Please bring your own tent.
Unfurnished glamping tents are available for you to rent for $50.00 per night.
The address and directions to Como Orchards near Darby, Montana, will be provided when you register.
What to Bring
Water bottle, hat, walking shoes, pen, journal, and something for the evening potluck if you are staying.