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Local Environments Inspire CMC Students
-by Cyndera Quackenbush
At the end of a lonely dirt road, a wonderland of figures awaits. Tall wooden skeletons of castle-like structures, broken glass, toilets engaging in balancing acts and hanging tatters of clothes decorate this piece of land.
What could this sanctuary of �junk� be? It is the assemblage art site of the world renowned artist Noah Purifoy, right in the humble town of Joshua Tree.
�The desert makes it all so visible. Because of its openness you make deductions about all kinds of things you can�t see in other places� said Art Department Chair, Spellman Downer.
Downer teaches several art classes and is constantly encouraging many of his students to expand themselves outside of the classroom. He recommends Simi Dabah�s sculpture yard and Anton Martin�s Christ Park to his students.
Such environments can have many uses for Copper Mountain College (CMC) students who dare to take the advantage. Often within these campus walls we hear comments such as, �There�s no where to really go in this town,� but for sources of inspiration, there are plenty to choose from practically in the very back yard of CMC.
�After coming back from Purifoy�s, I could look at a normal object and see beauty in it,� said CMC student Karin Moreno after experiencing the site for the first time since she�s moved out to the high desert. �It helps artists make art with his art. I have the urge to bring my cello out there and play it in the open or to read a book aloud to the art pieces�.
There are quite a few extraordinary art environments to visit near the college, but is there enough? One of the missions of the Earth Works art club is to create more of these stirring displays.
Downer, who is the organizer of the club, states, �We have a unique opportunity to make temporary, experimental earth works on our desert campus; it is a great way for students to participate in projects on campus and to assist professional artists as a truly meaningful experience.�
Inspiration, if not fully felt before by the students at CMC, can be sought out in the present and furthered in the future with the activities of our diversifying college community.
If you are interested in joining Earth Works, look for posters around campus or speak with Spellman Downer. You can visit with him at the CMC Art Department.
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