On March 1, 2024 a group of talented FRCC student artists gathered at Mug’s coffee shop in Fort Collins to sell their artwork and fundraise for this year’s summer field ecology course, set to take place in Alaska. Students shared not only their artmaking process, but what this course, and the experiences that come with it, will mean to them.
Student Nora Weaver, who helped initially organize the fundraiser, expressed excitement in the possibility of seeing salmon. Weaver, who has completed salmon restoration work in California, is hopeful that this year’s student restoration project, a required part of the course, will be just that. Other students taking the course agreed that they were also hopeful in potentially doing some salmon restoration work.
Numerous students also stated that they are excited to see and learn about various ecosystems. For students like Akacia Schauermann, getting to hike in a rainforest, which is listed in the trip itinerary, is truly a bucket list adventure to look forward to as she stated she has “never been to a rainforest.”
Local artist and student Willow Sedam, who not only sells artwork but has completed mural projects for the City of Fort Collins, had the opportunity to sell artwork with stunningly unique designs at Mugs and tried something new in combining a love for both art and wildlife: making paper mache fish! In addition to this new project in getting outside of the artistic comfort zone, Sedam shared that the trip will be an “awesome opportunity to be able to go there (Alaska) and actually research and get more out of it than a vacation.”
