Art at Cedar Point is an interdisciplinary program which blends art and science through undergraduate field courses, artist residencies, and community outreach programs at the university's Cedar Point Biological Station in western Nebraska.
Art at Cedar Point is an innovative and experimental project, aimed at connecting creative people with rural communities and natural ecosystems to learn how each can benefit the other. Over the last three years, we have successfully created opportunities for students to experience the unique ecosystems and communities of rural western Nebraska and showcased the potential for artists working in rural areas by developing the only Artist in Residence program in the region. In the summer of 2016, with the assistance of a competitive grant from the Rural Futures Institute, we held our first Art/Science Adventure Camp organized and taught by Nebraska undergraduate students for local children, and invited the public to the first Art at Cedar Point Speaker Series to engage area residents in a discussion of how the arts represent rural communities.
Community partners include the Cedar Point Biological Station, Ogallala Public School District, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Nebraska Water Center Foundation.
Course Offerings
Past ARTP383 courses include:
2021 Working with Watercolor, Professor Aaron Holz
2019 Working with Watercolor, Professor Aaron Holz
2018 The Figure in Nature, Professor Santiago Cal
2017 Mixed Media: Art & Nature, Professor Eddie Dominguez
2016 Photography: Responding to Landscape, Professor Amanda Breitbach
2015 Eco-Printing into Bookmaking, Professor Karen Kunc
For K-12 Teachers: UNL summer courses offer teachers an opportunity to reconnect to their own artistic processes, learn about new processes/techniques, and pursue professional development that enables salary advancement within their district’s pay scale.
Tuition and Fees
Total costs of the program include field station housing, three meals per day, UNL tuition, and a $50 materials fee. *Field course designation saves students money through reduced facilities fees.
Undergraduate: Room & Board $490/2 weeks + Tuition $969.75 + $50 materials fee
Graduate: Room & Board $490/2 weeks + Tuition $939.75 + $50 materials fee
Course enrollment opens March 2021. A non-refundable room & board deposit of $100 reserves your place. A permission code for online registration via MyRed will be given to students who have paid the enrollment deposit and completed a brief questionnaire.
Apply & Deposit Online
For more information, contact Coordinator Hannah Demma
Artist in Residence program
2024 call for applications
Immerse yourself in a unique natural setting
that fosters collaboration between artists and scientists.
Art at Cedar Point offers concentrated time
for creative research in a location that is far but near,
exotic and local, expansive and real.
ELIGIBILITY:
The Art at Cedar Point Artist in Residence program is aimed at artists and writers interested in the intersection of art and science. Hosted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Cedar Point Biological Station in western Nebraska, the residency offers artists and creative writers the opportunity to engage and interact with researchers, professors, and students of the biological sciences. Both established and emerging artists/writers are invited to apply.
DEADLINE: Applications will be accepted now through March 15, 2024
HOW TO APPLY:
Email a cover letter describing your interest in the art/science mission of Art at Cedar Point and how a residency would benefit your practice, along with a pdf of 10-15 examples of artwork or 3-4 writing samples, and a current CV to s-kmorrow6@huskers.unl.edu. Artists working in video should provide links to online content for viewing. In the cover letter, please indicate whether you'd like a 1 week residency or a 2 week residency. Our jurors will each rank the applicants and awards and choice of dates will be arranged by that ranking (artist #1 will receive an award and first choice of open dates etc.)
Total costs of the program include field station housing and three meals per day, at $280/week. Several scholarship awards are available for emerging and Nebraska artists/writers. All residents are responsible for their own travel costs to and from CPBS.
RESIDENCY AWARDS:
Art at Cedar Point offers a limited number of residency awards covering the cost of room and board to artists and writers working in or native to Nebraska and to emerging artists (currently enrolled graduate students or recent degree recipients). The application process is the same, but those applying for a Residency Award should address their eligibility and need for an award in the cover letter.
OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE:
Cedar Point Biological Station hosts instructors and undergraduate students for classes in art, literature and biology which offer artists the opportunity to engage across disciplines. Following is a schedule for summer 2024 to consider when selecting your available dates.
May 26-June 14: Literature & the Environment, Avian Biology, Fundamentals of Biology II
June 16-July 5: Predator Ecology, Field Herpetology
July 7-July 26: Field Epidemiology, Fundamentals of Biology II, Ecology and Evolution
July 28-August 16: Field Parasitology, Limnology
Scientists who return to CPBS each year include experts focused on cliff swallows, aquatic turtles, prairie dogs, lizards, and snakes. If you have a specific interest in one of these topics, please contact the program coordinator for more information about how to connect.
COMMUNITY:
Artists and writers who wish to engage with the local community are welcome to propose a public speaking event or workshop for youth or adults. A fully equipped auditorium is available nearby at the Lake McConaughy Visitors’ Center for speaking events, and limited facilities are available there and at CPBS for workshops or demonstrations.
Past Artists in Residence Include:
April Edwards
Victoria Hoyt
Zack Jacobs
Andrea Jenkins
Sarah Johnson
Mackayla Kelsey
Kassidy Linabery
Stephanie Marcellus
John O'Keefe
Rosevelt Pardy
Adele Phillips
Thomas Powell
Phae Strong
Kelly Weber
Amy Wendling
Matt Whitaker
Cory Willard
Luci Packard
Shelby Freehling
Max Sorenson
Christopher Williams
Charlotte Middleton
Connor Beck
Lindsey Pinkerton
Kristine Langley Mahler
Kristina Sheufelt
Gretchen Larsen
** If you have attended a residency at CPBS and are not on this list, or if you are on this list and you have a website not listed, please email our coordinator so we can get the list updated
For more information, contact Program Coordinator Kat Morrow at s-kmorrow6@huskers.unl.edu
Art Adventure Camp
Cedar Point Biological Station's "Art Adventure Camp" is a summer camp for kids from the Ogallala, Nebraska area taught by University of Nebraska-Lincoln undergraduate art students, funded by a grant from the the Kimmel Foundation and in partnership with Ogallala Public Schools. The program began in 2016 and has run every summer except the 2020 season. The camp is a great opportunity for our undergraduates to gain teaching experience in a unique environment with an underserved population.
Check out this article about our camp in "Nebraska Today"
Some reflections from our undergraduate instructors:
“The first day of camp really broadened my perspective on how living in rural areas can impact children. I think growing up in the country can lead to a lack of cultural vocabulary, but on the other hand a lot of kids had a broader understanding of plants than did the staff. It was cool to see them bring their own survival knowledge and some agricultural background to the class.”
– Kat Wiese, UNL undergraduate instructor
“This was an experience that I will never forget. I learned so much regarding children, conflict resolution, planning, teaching, patience, and many other topics. After being asked to assist in this camp, I immediately decided to do it because I wanted as many kids as possible to participate in exploring the outdoors and be creative in the off-the-grid setting of Cedar Point.Not every kid lives on a farm with wide open space to enjoy and explore, I want every child to have that experience.”
-Jordan Geisert, UNL undergraduate instructor
“I explained the process I went through to get the clay from raw earth to workable clay. I first dug the clay up, then broke it up into pieces, soaked the pieces of clay, blended it, sieved it and then set it out to dry in the sun. I put some of the clay from each step aside so the kids could see and feel each step. The kids really enjoyed getting messy and the hands-on experience of touching the clay and building things from it.”
-Austin Coudriet, UNL undergraduate instructor
“This year brought so many beautiful moments for myself that caught me by surprise. Each and every day, the student’s excitement and curiosity encouraged and pushed me to be with them more. I hadn’t planned to be talking to the boys about their personal life stories, and I’m glad I was there to have those conversations with them. I personally learned many new things with the activities the camp leaders had planned and I really enjoyed doing it among the kids.”
-Pha Nguyen, UNL undergraduate instructor