Many Ways to Wild: Sharing Nature and Making Art on Rock Island
When I came across a call for submissions for In Your Element, a site-based project that involved exploring a mystery location and creating art from the experience, I WAS IN.
In Your Element, Presented By the Natural Heritage Project
This post tells the story of a site-specific art project I was part of in 2019. Artists received coordinates for an unknown location and were challenged to create a piece of art from the experience of being in that place.
SEEKING ADVENTURE
When I came across a call for submissions for In Your Element, a site-based project that involved exploring a mystery location and creating art from the experience, I WAS IN. I sent in my application and indicated that I'd be willing to drive, hike or paddle to the location. As the only artist who offered up a willingness to paddle, I scored the BEST place. A couple weeks after sending in work samples, I received an email saying I'd been accepted and to be on the lookout for the next correspondence which would reveal my SECRET COORDINATES. So cool.
LOCATION REVEALED
When the envelope arrived, I tore it open to find a card with nothing on it but a handwritten set of coordinates. It took a minute (with my son Sawyer's help) to even figure out how to search it online! When I discovered that the coordinates matched a tiny spot in the middle of the St. Croix River, I was ecstatic! And just a little nervous.
The truth is, I both love and fear water, especially when it's got a current that may have a mind of its own. Luckily I had Brad along to boost my courage and share the adventure. (Sweet aside: the kayaks were our anniversary gift to each other couple years ago).
UP THE STREAM WITH PADDLES
After getting the kids to school, we loaded the kayaks on our Subaru and set out on a beautiful, warm September day with just a hint of fall in the air and the first few autumn leaves glowing yellow. The water was calm, making for an easy upstream paddle. We knew from the map that our destination would be the only island in this section of the river. We came around the bend and spotted it: true to its name, it was a tiny island that appeared to be nothing but rock covered with trees. I don't actually have a picture of the whole island; the current was swirling around the edge and I was preoccupied with figuring out whether or not we could find a place to get on land.
SETTING FOOT ON LAND
We located the single entry point onto the island where we could pull our kayaks into a tiny bay and maneuver ourselves on land. Then we set out to explore every inch of the tiny island. We hiked up to the summit and surveyed the view up and down the river, scrambled over ancient, lichen-covered rocks, padded through blankets of wheat-colored pine needles. We examined weathered, gnarled tree trunks, twisting red vines, fungus and scrappy succulents and a handful of wildflowers.
Needless to say, this tiny place has never been inhabited by humans and there was little sign of animal life beyond birds. There was plenty of life, though. Plants, fungus, trees, lichen in claustrophobic layered density in every nook and cranny, a dramatic example of how life finds a way and even thrives where conditions are less than hospitable. There were signs of human presence. We were angered to discover the remains of a campfire littered with beer bottles. Then, delighted to discover an official marker anchored in the ancient rock - the land survey that showed how this place had been mapped and counted sometime in the 1830's when European settler first began arriving in the area. The most surprising human presence we encountered that day, however, was the steady stream of canoes that started coming down the river shortly after we arrived on the island.
A Different Kind of Wild
I had expected to have a quiet wilderness experience on this remote island, isolated in the middle of the stream AND the middle of a workday! So, when raucous groups of teenagers emerged in boat after boat, and just kept coming, my first response was annoyance. The diverse school group was full of excited, first-time paddlers. It was a wonder that no one tipped over as they clumsily steered their way through the currents on either side of the island. Their loud voices, laughs and shrieks practically echoed off the rocky cliff walls lining the shore. Then, they spied us! Several kids yelled out to me: "Hey, how'd you get there?" "What are you doing?" and, most importantly, "Can we come out there?"
Kids In Nature
After a while, my irritation wore off. I had to laugh at just how much this differed from the quiet, solitary wilderness experience I'd envisioned. It was wild in an entirely different way. The kids' enthusiasm was contagious though and, ultimately, I was thrilled to see these kids out in nature. Since Richard Louv's groundbreaking book, Last Child in the Woods came out in 2005, there has been increased awareness and evidence of the importance of nature for human wellbeing. Louv summarizes the findings of hundreds of studies of "the impact of nature on human development" since his book was published:
(an) expanding body of scientific evidence suggests that nature-deficit disorder contributes to a diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, conditions of obesity, and higher rates of emotional and physical illnesses. Research also suggests that the nature-deficit weakens ecological literacy and stewardship of the natural world.
Richard Louv - What Is Nature-Deficit Disorder (link Below)
As a strong proponent of protecting wild public spaces, I support expanding access to green space and outdoor recreation for everyone. After all, the best way to inspire people to protect nature is to give them an opportunity to fall in love with her!
THE STORY OF ROCK ISLAND 1.1 Billion Years in the Making
While I've been smitten with nature for most of my life, I find that the more I learn, the deeper my sense of wonder becomes. So, I willingly dug in on the research that was another part of the In Your Element project. Because the island has never been inhabited by humans, I got to focus on the how this place formed over the last billion years. The history of my Place was ALL natural history! The place is all about rocks and water. And, of course, time. Lots of it. The rocks that characterize this part of the St. Croix River valley are made of volcanic material from the earth's molten core. Millions of years of lava spreading and cooling formed the basalt bedrock that makes this area so unique. It's the same type of rock that forms Lake Superior's North Shore although it's is commonly found on the ocean floor.
The Power of Water
While there were four separate periods of glacial activity in this area from 1 million to 10,000 years ago, it is the movement of water, not ice, that carved the rocks and cliffs into the forms we see today. The river was a conduit for glacial melt water, most notably from Glacial Lake Duluth, the precursor to modern-day Lake Superior. The force of this water was enough to gouge and carve the ancient bedrock. In many areas, the combination of swirling water, sand and rock also created extensive potholes in the rock, unique to this area. I came away from Rock Island feeling deeply connected to the forces that shaped this place over a billion years ago. By touching those ancient rocks I was accessing the very core of the Earth. By paddling those waters, I was moving through the liquid force that shaped those same rocks over millions of years. It was all right there for me to experience. Just, WOW. If you're interested in learning more about the history of Rock Island, my research is attached below. You can also listen to a short interview I did with the project organizer discussing my experience. It's pretty funny toward the end :)
Making Art From Nature: Flow States
After exploring Rock Island physically and learning more about the forces that created this rugged place, it was time for me to make art. I chose to make a photo assemblage, selecting many of the images I took that day to represent the many-layers of elements and life forms that coexist on the tiny island. Winding vines, red sumac, lichens and fungus, juniper, pine needles, water, sky and rocks. And, of course, there's a canoe here, too, if you look closely.
The assemblage is made up of many handcrafted wood panels arranged in an irregular shape. The many pieces that form the whole are a nod to the slow-building aggregation that formed the rocks over time. The random, irregular outline of the finished piece suggests a subtractive process of rushing water carving out shapes from the basalt.
This one-of-a-kind piece is for sale. Materials: Reclaimed hardwood, archival pigment ink, cotton rag, print varnish, screws. 24x 40 x 1, $2200. Purchase here.
RESOURCES
THE NATURAL HERITAGE PROJECT: Encouraging an Appreciation of Nature Through the Arts
The Natural Heritage Project was created by artist and curator Jessica Turtle in 2016. The Mission: To utilize arts and experience learning to inspire individuals to build environmental and cultural curiosity, understanding and respect based on the key principles of sustainability including ecology, social justice, nonviolence and grassroots democracy.
Audio interview for In Your Element. Hear the whole canoe story and how I ate a sandwich on a billion-year-old rock! Scroll to the bottom of the page to find my interview. >13 min.
Rathai, Terra. Fire & Ice: The History and Formation of Rock Island In Your Element: A Natural Heritage Project Presentation.
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (Wisconsin & Minnesota) - Plan a paddling trip, find river conditions and other things to do along the St. Croix.
National Wild and Scenic Rivers - Explore the St. Croix and discover other scenic waterways.
READ: Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Buy the book!
LISTEN: NPR Interview with Richard Louv, Saving Kids from "Nature-Deficit" Disorder. Morning Edition, May 25, 2005.