Shortly after the Carpenter 1 fire had cleared on Mount Charleston, a group of artists arrived there to document the condition of area flora. They made detailed drawings of botany both damaged and undamaged, turned them into postcards and mailed them into town from the mountaintop.
That the charred remains existed that day was a coincidence, an added element on a scheduled excursion by an art program (in its second summer) that has Las Vegas artists leading workshops on the mountain.
The program began last year with a free public workshop that had locals photographing contemporary mass-produced objects against (or within) the natural environment and has grown to include land art, video and sound art. More recently, participants made DIY lanterns, led by multimedia artist David Sanchez Burr, who heads up the Wildlife Divide program.
The program, designed to connect art, science and urban and natural environments, falls under the U.S. Forest Service as a way to educate locals about the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. Each workshop includes a talk by a naturalist or biologist.
Sanchez Burr says he looks for artists who have an open mind about what art is to lead the workshops. Participants need not have any art background. This weekend, visitors are invited to bring elements from their homes—furniture, stuffed animals, pots and pans, etc.—for a stop-motion photography workshop in Lee Meadows with Sanchez Burr and photographer Checko Salgado.
Stop Motion Project August 10, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., free. Lee Meadows, wildlifedivide.wordpress.com