Listen to the sounds of nature!
Join PlySpace Resident Karl Erickson for two thoughtful and meditative, guided 'sound-walks' through local nature preserves in collaboration with the Red-tail Land Conservancy and Cardinal Greenways. The first walk will occur on Saturday, June 1 @ 9 AM, at the Munsee Woods Nature Preserve in Selma, IN (formerly Camp Munsee), a private sanctuary that is only open to the public for private tours. The second walk will occur on Tuesday, June 11 @ 7 PM at The John M. Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve in Muncie, IN. Both events are free and open to the public. Please RSVP Register for either (or both) events as there are limited spaces for participation.
RSVP Register: Meditative Listening Walk: Munsee Woods (June 1 @ 9 AM)
RSVP Register: Meditative Listening Walk: Craddock Wetlands (June 11 @ 7 PM)
Participants will meet at the walk site where they will learn about the meditative listening process with Karl Erickson. Then, each event will consist of approximately 1 hour of silent walking and deep listening with guided activities, followed by 30 minutes of discussion about the sights, sounds, and the experience. Deep Listening walks are forms of guided meditations to actively notice our surroundings and how our actions influence these surroundings. The artist and a representative from the Red-tail Land Conservancy will walk with the group to answer questions and prompt discussion.
The two locations are very different, with different ecosystems, sound patterns, and trail qualities. The Munsee Woods trail is wooded with some underbrush, so long pants, walking shoes, and bug spray are encouraged. The Craddock Wetlands is an ADA compliant urban site with wooded and open paths and boardwalks. If raining, the activities and listening will be held inside the Munsee Woods lodge which has screened garage doors to the outside, or at the covered Craddock Pavilion. All participants must abide by the rules set forth by the Red-tail Land Conservancy (www.fortheland.org/) and respect the trail and facilities. Please note, there are no working bathrooms or running water at either site. Children are welcome to participate, but please leave your pets at home.
About the Artist:
Karl Erickson makes videos, performances, and collages centering on abstract narrative themes of transformative experiences, non-human intelligences, and environmentalism. While in residence, Erickson will research, document and collaborate with non-native species in the Delaware County area, including humans. He will work with biologists, conservationists, and historians, collaborating with the Red-Tail Land Conservancy, to research the plants and animals residing around city, including when they appeared, how they interact with one another, and the role human activity has had on them. He will make sound and video recordings of the life-forms to use as the source material for artworks about beings alien to their environments, including a live performance or two. The goal of these projects is to continue a conversation about living alongside that which is different to find a just and equitable way to exist on the planet.
About Munsee Woods:
The Munsee Woods Nature Preserve occurs within a glacial meltwater valley with gentle forested uplands and spring-fed wetlands that sustain a small perennial tributary stream of the White River, West Fork. Munsee Woods was deeded to the Muncie Girls Scouts by the E. Arther Ball family in 1939. It served as a Girl Scout camp for several decades. The site has several plant communities, including old fields, successional woods, and upland mixed forests. Typical plants and wildflowers of both wetlands and uplands are found on the site. Munsee Woods NP represents an important habitat block in close proximity to both Prairie Creek reservoir and the White River (from www.in.gov/dnr).
Directions to Munsee Woods:
From Muncie, take S Burlington Drive for 3.2 miles, turn left onto 266 S or E Inlow Springs Road, drive 1.8 miles, and continue straight onto E CR 322 S or E Windsor Road. Turn right onto S CR 475 E, go 0.5 miles, look for the entrance on left - there is a large Munsee Woods / Red-Tail Land Conservancy Sign at the driveway. The camp is about .5 miles down the drive, and there is parking in a small clearing near the lodge.
About The John M. Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve:
The John M. Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve is located in the center of Muncie, Indiana, next to former industrial sites and adjacent to the White River. The Wetland Nature Preserve began as a gift of land to the City of Muncie to honor John M. Craddock’s life-long public service commitment to saving and reviving the White River and the wildlife along its corridor.
Directions to The John M. Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve:
The Craddock Wetlands can be accessed from Rt. 32 (E. Jackson St.) at Bunch Blvd. There is a trail head entrance with parking near N. Gavin St. at Bunch Blvd., and at Bunch Blvd. near the Riverview Park train tracks. Participants should meet at the Pavilion, about .25 miles down the pathway. The trail is also accessible from the White River Greenway, in Muncie.
Questions or comments about the PlySpace Residency program, events, and community collaborations can be directed to the Residency Coordinator, Erin Williams, at hello@plyspace.org.
PlySpace is a program of Muncie Arts and Culture Council in partnership with the City of Muncie, Ball State University School of Art, and Sustainable Muncie Corporation. PlySpace is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.