We’ve got a double feature for you this week, folks! Artist profiles of two of our very own: Abigail Taubman and Maggie Rosenberg. These city girls (both hail from the Big Apple) see the flora and fauna on Chewonki through an artist’s lens. I sat down with each artist to learn about their past experiences and what inspires their work in Art and the Natural World here at Chewonki.

Byron in pen and ink by Maggie Rosenberg

At home, Maggie takes art classes both at her school and at Parsons, The New School for Design. She has found that art at Chewonki strikes the middle ground between her art worlds at home. Parsons, she says, is a more strict environment where her instructors focus on technique, while her art teacher at school is more open to experimentation and expression. Maggie likes that her assignments at Chewonki are nicely structured, but also leave room for each student to make decisions about the scope, design, and media used to complete projects.

Above is Maggie’s illustration of Byron the Barred owl, a member of Chewonki’s Traveling Natural History team. It is not every day that a wild animal visits your classroom and poses quietly and courteously for you. Maggie admits that when it comes to subject matter, she often stays within her comfort zone, “All of those feathers were intimidating! I like to draw people. Faces have such interesting shapes, and I understand emotions in humans better than in animals.” Despite her initial hesitation, it looks like she rose to the challenge with grace. Not only was she faced with unfamiliar subject matter, she experimented with media. She started with pen and ink and then added water to make an ink wash. When I asked if this method was a new favorite, she explained that she does not lean one way or another, “I don’t really have a favorite. If you stick to one medium, you don’t know what’s out there. You limit yourself.” Maggie employs pencil, ink, graphite, charcoal, acrylic and oil paints in her work.

Students in Art and the Natural World have began an extended independent project of their own design. Maggie’s eyes lit up when I asked what her proposal for her project was. Her focus will be on the relationship between domesticated animals and their wild relatives. She will illustrate pairs of animals, including a farm-raised pig and a wild boar, and a milk cow and a bison. She will extend the comparison to humans by depicting modern day humans with their historical relatives, chimpanzees. “By creating the word ‘wild’ and giving it meaning, humans have decided what is wild and what is civilized. We tend to think of farm animals as ‘more human’ than their wild counterparts, but we forget that our livestock descended from wild ancestors. We think of ourselves as civilized. Most humans don’t regularly think about our evolution from the “wild,” and some humans don’t believe it. I am so excited about this project!”

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Rainbow Chard Watercolor by Abigail Taubman

Abigail has always really liked crafty things, but she started taking art classes in middle school. Her first class was photography. She admits that in the beginning, she signed up because her friends were taking it, but has kept with it. Over the years she fell more and more in love with photography and has regularly taken two photo classes at a time. When I asked her what her favorite subjects were, she said, “Always people. I can create the interaction. There is more for the viewer to do when it’s a person because they can interpret what the subject is thinking.”

Last summer, Abigail traveled to Ireland with her camera to take part in “Art on the Farm,” a summer 3-week course at Cowhouse Studios. A sampling of her prints can be found on the Cowhouse website. Abigail is loyal to film cameras, rather than digital. She is eager to explore the possibilities in printing, “I met an artist at the Common Ground Fair who was working with tin types. I want to get into more alternative process photography.”

Art at Chewonki provides an altogether new experience for Abigail. She is excited to develop her drawing skills and get into different media. For the most part, students decide what media they will use for their assignments and projects. So far this semester students have been exposed to pencil drawing, watercolor, charcoal, pen and ink, and printmaking.

Above, Abigail displays her watercolor of a rainbow chard. It is no surprise that Abigail enjoyed the assignment, if only for the time spent at the farm. Abigail loves the farm. She loves the nature of the work, especially “the cycles large and small, the tangible results after starting something and finishing it, and the satisfaction of seeing the fruit of your labor.”

Although she dabbled in watercolor at Cowhouse, this rainbow chard is Abigail’s first work solely in watercolor. She remarks that although others get frustrated by the medium, she enjoys it, “I like watercolors because it’s easy to layer and correct mistakes. It’s flexible and forgiving.”

What is next in art for Abigail? She is excited to start block printing. Her design depicts a bird flying down low across the water.

It is hard to believe that we are already at the midpoint of the semester! Students retreated up to the north woods of Maine for an outdoor leadership program last week. They spent some time in the woods on an afternoon solo, not only to try it out before their 3-day solo in November, but also to get a chance to catch their breath, reflect, and look ahead. Will used his time to write in his journal and has shared a few excerpts.

4^th Debsconeag, October 19-23

It’s funny how time can fly by. It’s like I just got to Chewonki. The first half of my semester flashed by, and now here I am, sitting next to a stream near 4^th Debsconeag Lake in the north woods of Maine. It’s kind of rainy and dreary, but this place is cool. Canoeing was nice yesterday. The lake was so placid, like a mirror. It’s already getting chilly – close to my normal winter, ha. (Editor’s note: like myself, Will is from North Carolina. We are bracing ourselves for shorter days and colder nights!)

As I sit here listening to the soothing din of the stream on my afternoon solo, I realize that even though I will soon be back at Chewonki studying or building something for math, I don’t have to think about the next species quiz or history essay right now. I have time to reflect over wilderness trips, hikes, my friends, my life, and myself. It’s nice to step back and think, even at Chewonki. This time off has given every student a chance to reflect over some of the greatest experiences ever.

Two months may not seem like so much, but this the Chewonki time zone. In the span of about two months I have learned so much about school, learning, nature, camping, and myself. I will try not to take the rest of my time here for granted. This is a wonderful gift with amazing people and it will be gone too quickly.

- Will Godsey, Charlotte NC

In a few short hours, students will return from their “outdoor leadership retreat” at Chewonki’s Fourth Debsconeag Lake girls’ summer camp facility.  Located approximately 4.5 hours north, this gorgeous, remote site was intentionally chosen as a venue for our students to practice their leadership skills and reflect on their time here now that we are at the midpoint of our journey together.  

While faculty remained on campus to compile midterm grades and narrative reports, students have been living in yurts, hiking through mossy woods up to incredible viewpoints of the north woods lakes and peaks, and hopefully, weather permitting, canoeing and sailing on stunning Fourth Debsconeag Lake.  In addition, they have been working in small groups on service projects to help close down the girls’ camp for the winter, giving them opportunities to take initiative, problem solve and get to know one another more deeply.

During a mini-solo experience students will have had an opportunity to get comfortable with the idea of being alone in the woods for a few hours as a practice for our more extended solos, which occur November 4-6 on Chewonki Neck.  Solos provide an intensely meaningful way for our students to reflect on their experiences here and get to know themselves in often profound ways.  Through their mini-solos at Debsconeag and other sessions during the next week, students will gain the appropriate skills and framework to prepare them for this unique experience.   We are so excited to hear about their adventure together when they roll back onto campus this afternoon, and we’ll make sure to get a student’s perspective posted so you can hear about it, as well!!

Abby Burbank, Chewonki Girls Camp Director, has been documenting the Outdoor Leadership Program at 4th Debsconeag Lake this weekend. Check out the photos on the Girls Camp blog: Drizzly Day at Debsconeag. Thanks Abby!

So far this semester all of the French students have been learning about the history of French in North America, and specifically in Maine. This culminated in a visit to a Franco-American community in Lewiston.  Every month the Franco-American Heritage Center hosts La Rencontre, a luncheon to speak French, share stories and enjoy cultural events.  After eating and talking in French, everyone watched two monologues performed by playwrite Grégoire Chabot and Marjolaine Whittlesey, the Semester School French teacher. Students share some reflections in French and English.

“It was interesting how it seemed to be a very tight knit community. People at my table talked to everyone who walked by, and they were all talking to each other about their families. Two of the men at my table kept trying to play tricks on each other through the whole meal, which was really funny.”

“Un homme près de moi m’a dit que quand il avait seize ans, il essayait d’apprendre l’anglais, et maintenant j’ai seize ans et j’essaye d’apprendre le français!”- Eliana Langer, New York NY

“I could actually see the culture, the language passed down through the generations, through the stories that I heard. For instance, when her daughter came to talk to the woman I was talking to, she spoke in English but understood all French, and is still trying to learn how to speak it. The part that shocked me the most was that they were all actively trying to bring back their heritage.”

“Quand Theresa parlait avec moi, c’etait très difficile pour moi de comprendre parce que le français qu’elle parle est un mélange de français et d’anglais. Elle a dit “ Toutes les personnes ici parle ça! Nous pouvons comprendre seulement l’un l’autre!” – Jessica Chen, Somers NY

“Il y avait aussi une femme qui parlait de la discrimination. Elle nous a dit qu’il  y a toujours beaucoup de discrimination. Par exemple, à Portland les gens dissent que Lewiston est “l’aisselle” (the armpit) du Maine, à cause des Franco-Americains qui y habitent.” - Bia Brigstocke, New York NY

“La fille d’une femme à notre table habite à Portland très près de moi! Ses enfants vont à l’école primaire où je suis allé quand j’étais petit.” – Tom Kiffney, Portland ME

“Quand cet homme était petit, les gens lui demandaient “est ce que vous êtes américain ou canadien?” et il ne savait pas. Il a dit que la langue a changé avec l’anglais, et lentement est devenue différente. Je pense que ça doit être une vie très seule. Pas vraiment canadien, pas vraiment français, et ne pas savoir si vous êtes un américain. Une vie très dure. Tout le monde parlait avec beaucoup de passion et d’enthousiasme. Je voudrais y retourner!” – Kate McNally, Deep River CT

“J’ai parlé avec une femme qui a 91 ans et qui s’appelle Cécilia. Elle m’a demandé si j’avais un “ami” français (a boyfriend). Puis, elle m’a dit qu’elle avait beaucoup d’amis quand elle était jeune. Elle a dit qu’elle dansait avec eux souvent !” - Dani Hupper, New York NY

The sailors leisurely left Ram Island in the late morning to make our way out to open ocean. Our destination was Seguin Island, a small land mass located 2.5 miles from the mouth of the Kennebeck River, home to the second oldest lighthouse in Maine. The wind was at our backs, the sun was shining in a cloudless sky, and we were making our way across a glassy sea. After a calm sail we unloaded into our dinghies and rowed to shore. We were welcomed to the island with smiles from the tenants. We walked a few of the small trails circulating the island in the gorgeous afternoon light. Some of us took photographs to document our journey, while others simply took in the surroundings and enjoyed the salty air. We cooked a delicious meal of savory mac and cheese. The night sky was possibly the clearest I had ever seen it and we spent the rest of the night learning about different constellations and looking out into the vast Milky Way and beyond. We finally turned in for the night, but not before a little acoustic guitar and harmonica session from our leaders Scott and Tom. As cliché as it sounds, it was truly a night to remember.

– Leo Turpan, East Hampton NY

After a long day of sea kayaking we approached our campsite in a small cove. As we turned in to the cove, we saw that our fifty-foot rocky climb to the site was covered with slippery seaweed. The thought of carrying our ten fully-loaded kayaks up the treacherous rocks to the sandy shore was daunting. Thirty minutes later, with a few cuts and scrapes, we arrived at our home for the night. The day had been challenging and tiresome, but it was rewarding to finally sit down, rest, and take in a beautiful Maine afternoon knowing that it was well deserved.

– Claire Manny, Millbrook NY

We approached the last stretch of our eight-hour day of canoeing with relief. A mile and a half didn’t usually take too long to paddle, and our campsite was waiting on the other side. This time, however, the circumstances were different. We crossed a lake against strong winds and four-foot swells. I was terrified that we would flip and lose our coolers, backpacks, and dry bags.

The first boats touched land in about two hours and I could see them hugging each other and cheering us on. I remember the look on everyone’s faces when we had all reached the shore: pure happiness. Looking back, we felt so connected as a group – it was the best moment of the entire trip.

– Allie Cullen, Schenectady NY

Waking up each morning at Chewonki’s Big Eddy campground to Ryan’s banjo got us pumped up and ready to hit the rapids.  On the first day of whitewater kayaking we learned to perform a wet exit and hold our paddles correctly, inching closer to becoming whitewater professionals. Over the course of the trip, foreign terms like “peeling out,” “ferrying,” and “rolling” became second nature to all of us.

On the second day we tackled “Horserace,” a gauntlet of five back-to-back rapids. The final rapid, called “The Stallion,” proved to be a fun challenge, pouring us through wave trains that sent water up to smack us in our faces. We paddled downstream into a cove and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and changing fall colors.

– Maddie Kay, Brunswick ME

Students embarked on week-long wilderness trips last week, venturing out to hike, canoe, whitewater kayak, sea kayak, and sail. Sasha shares her account of the journey across the Mahoosuc Notch, “the hardest mile of the AT.” Highlights from other wilderness trips are soon to come!

“I made another Notch in my belt and then got shot in the Arm.”
– Lazarus, AT through-hiker, upon completing the Mahoosuc Notch on the AT.

Our five-day escapade through the Appalachian Trail gave the word “accomplishment” a new, elevated meaning. Prior to our departure, fellow students (myself included) had underestimated the difficulty of what appeared to be a pretty benign trail. The nonchalant echoes of students saying, “it’s only five miles per day,” no longer hold validity for me or my fellow hikers.

Our first three days presented us with challenges that we met with grace, aside from the occasional fall, slip, or cry of hunger. The events of day four, however, still seem surreal. We tackled the hardest mile of the AT (note my use of newly acquired hiker lingo), the Mahoosuc Notch, under a constant downpour of rain.

How can I possibly describe The Notch?” Imagine innumerable amounts of rocks piled on top of each other in a perplexing and inconvenient way. The Notch is nature’s “obstacle course,” a convenient euphemism for this notoriously difficult mile. Nevertheless, we tackled it with enthusiasm.

We maintained a consistent line order throughout, taking a hand in front to hoist ourselves over boulders, and, in turn, offering a hand to support the person behind. We conquered the Notch mile in just under four hours, but it wasn’t over yet! The Mahoosuc Notch is followed by the Mahoosuc Arm, a steep rock face. The rain sent shallow rivers of water over the rock face. Our steps were slow and cautious, but we persevered!

Why I am sharing the most difficult part of the trip with you? Is it an effort to show off the hard work of my nine fellow hikers? Do I just like saying we successfully completed the hardest mile? Not quite. I believe that day was a testament to our strength as Chewonki semester students. Even a shot in the arm won’t hurt us.

- Sasha Stahl, New York NY

It’s a misty, humid evening here on Chewonki neck.  A light rain fell most of the day, inviting all of us to grab cups of tea while walking around campus in rubber boots and raingear.  This morning, a moose was spotted jogging through campus before darting back into the woods, reminding most of us that we are, indeed, somewhere different!

Tomorrow marks an important crossroads for semester 47, as we will have finished our first three weeks of class before embarking on our five-day wilderness trips Monday.  This week has been filled with preparations for our fall trips, and there’s a sense of excitement in the air on the part of students and faculty.   You see, just last week they had to decide between five exciting wilderness trips.  Led by Chewonki wilderness trip leaders and our semester school faculty, students will be taking off on Monday to diverse wildareas of Maine in order to immerse themselves in the natural world and develop an understanding of regional ecosystems, learn wilderness travel techniques, and physically challenge themselves.  The five trips include sailing, sea kayaking, canoeing, whitewater kayaking and backpacking.  Once trip groups were formed, leaders spent time with kids this week practicing their skills, from sailing out from our waterfront to learning to wet exit from a sea kayak.  Individual and group gear has been gathered, missing items loaned, and food packed.  We can’t wait to hear about their adventures and witness their strengthened friendships and self-confidence when they return!

Not only have students been working on their wilderness skills in anticipation of these trips, they have also been submitting substantial assignments to their teachers.  Preparing for math tests, US History and Literature and the Land essays and research proposals for the Environmental Issues class have filled their study hours to the brim this week.

Tomorrow we are thrilled to be taking the entire semester on a day trip to Monhegan Island in order to study the natural environment of this historic fishing enclave and get everyone out into the open ocean.   Witnessing bird migration, talking with lobster fishermen and learning how this year-round fishing village lives on limited natural resources will be fascinating for all of us.  On Saturday, we take off again for a day at the annual Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, Maine, where students will see local and organic agriculture and other sustainable living practices celebrated on a large scale.

Expect fun blog entries the first week of October as students report on their wilderness trip adventures!

Where else can you spend one-on-one time with a bald eagle, learn how to fix a flat on your bike, and use a blowtorch all in the same week? Ben, Evelysse and Leo share a few “firsts” on work program.

One of the more surreal experiences I have had at Chewonki so far was working in our Outreach Lab for work program. I spent a large part of the afternoon cleaning the cages of some of the largest and most rare birds in the country. There was nothing too extraordinary about actually cleaning the birds’ living spaces, except perhaps working around the cut open carcasses set out for that day’s lunch. What stuck with me was the aura of power that each bird (except maybe the smallest of the owls) exuded as I worked in their living space.

The Bald Eagle, Wocawson, whose right wing was once shot, was intensely watchful of me as I made my way around her space. She let out loud, high-pitched screeches when I wandered too close to her, and occasionally followed me around the large cage as I worked. As soon as I had finished raking a pile of feathers, pine needles and other undesirable items, Wocawson charged at me from out of nowhere and opened her wings as wide as she could spread them, despite her permanently crippled wing. Thankfully all she wanted to do was get me away from the raked up pile so she could mess it up and jump around in it for a little while. Such things, I have been told, are her main source of entertainment.

– Ben Bristol, Rocky Hill NJ

Pete, Nick, Evelysse, Jessica and Claire gave the Chewonki bike fleet some much needed TLC.

I have enjoyed the few opportunities I have had in my life to ride a bike, but when you grow up in New York City, like me, riding a bike is not imperative. Bike riding has been a shrouded cloud of mystery that I have always wanted to venture into. I was pretty excited to find out that I was signed up to fix flat tires on Chewonki bikes during my first work program. I don’t know about you, but fixing a flat tire sounded like a daunting task to me. I love conquering daunting tasks, so I went to work program ready to learn and found Chewonki’s own bike master, Peter Sniffen, and my lovely advisor, Steve Kerchner, ready to teach.

I soon discovered that fixing a flat tire was as wonderful as I had imagined. My partner, Nick, and I worked together to change the tires on several bikes. While I learned about the parts of the bike, Nick screwed on parts that I unknowingly removed from one of the bikes. This may sound like a failed first attempt, but that’s the beauty of Chewonki, you get to try again and learn from each other. After some initial difficulty and plenty of help from the group, I successfully fixed a tire and got to bask in the glory ride on a newly repaired bike back to the bike shed. I learned an extremely valuable skill and I will not have to worry about having to turn back en route to Shaws from now on!

- Evelysse Vargas, Bronx NY

One pound of Copper. Three dollars. The basis for my first work program. My first thought when I saw that I was scheduled to help maintenance sort scrap metal for work program was, “that’s going to be boring.” By the end of the afternoon I had learned how to safely operate a blowtorch to unsolder metal piping and convert old scrap metal into money that supports Chewonki scholarships.

I first took thickly wrapped copper wire that was salvaged from telephone poles and used a utility knife to strip the dense rubber that encased the wire. Then I threw on a pair of heavy leather gloves, safety glasses, and grabbed a blowtorch. I used the blowtorch to unsolder and separate different types of metals that once made up some of Chewonki’s piping systems. It was easily the coolest thing I’ve done here so far, and that’s saying a lot. I eagerly look forward to next week’s work program when I will be one of the first students to use a chainsaw.

– Leo Turpan, East Hampton NY

Christina, Jen, Lucy, Kate, Abigail, Mike & Paula share new-found treasures.

Have you ever looked at a mushroom? I mean really looked at it? Have you ever wondered how mushrooms grow, live, and survive? Before last weekend, I had seen them on the forest floor and admired their colors from afar. But a mushroom was a mushroom, was a mushroom; they all kind of looked the same to me. I simply knew that they were a type of fungus, and never cared to ask more about how they live.

Last Sunday morning Abigail, one of our beloved farmers, asked if anyone would like to go on a mushroom walk that afternoon. Abigail led us into the woods to walk, look, and stop frequently to examine the beautiful, almost alien, shapes, textures, and colors of the forest mushrooms. I have hardly ever been with a group of adults so enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and easy to talk to.

Evelyesse takes time after lunch to check out the fungi

The air was warm and sunshine dappled. We gathered to look at each other’s finds and collected particularly interesting specimens. Mushrooms, I learned, are not individual organisms at all. They are the fruit of a vast and tangled web of fungi that can stretch for miles underground. Imagine what lives beneath your feet! A mushroom emerges often when there is a stress to the fungi like moisture. Mushrooms come in practically every color of the rainbow. They can be stout or elegant and solitary. They can look like ocean coral or the scraggly beard of an old man.

When we had gathered enough to fill a bin and several paper bags, we took the mushrooms back to the Wallace Center porch and spent the rest of the day identifying them. We looked in guidebooks, drew pictures, and set up a beautiful display for the dinner crowd.

What a lovely day.

- Kate McNally, Deep River CT