After assessing the multitude of services and programming being offered by other arts institutions, and the needs of our community, we have developed this as a way to provide social interaction and support for the Skowhegan community. Think of this as a virtual common house and skill share.

While it is exciting to know that many of us are actively making and finding ways to exhibit art, please do not view this as a platform for self-promotion.

We hope that this can help alumni foster existing relationships while making new connections within our extended community. Each of these meetings are hosted by alumni. Skowhegan is offering this as a platform, and cannot moderate what happens in each event. The host is there to facilitate and intervene when something goes wrong, but everyone is responsible for their own behavior. We are all volunteering.

Community Guidelines

This is meant to be a space for dialogue, connection, and support amongst artists as we individually and collectively navigate the challenges we are currently facing. With that in mind, community cannot function without maintaining respect and courtesy for each other. Participants must adhere to the following guidelines in all online meetings and on the Google Group:

• This is meant to be a safe space. Do not publicly shame, call-out, antagonize, cancel, or otherwise incite conflict or drama. Keep in mind we have an extensive and diverse network of alumni and each of us is coping in our unique ways.

• Confidentiality is key. Nothing leaves the group. This community is not public. Please do not take screenshots or record anything unless everyone in the group explicitly consents to it.

• 'One Mic, one person'. Understanding technology can sometimes malfunction and cause delays, please do not talk over anyone.

• 'Step up, Step back'. If you are someone who shares a lot, please be conscious of that and allow others to speak. Make room for people who are less inclined to share. Remember, no one is forcing anyone to participate.

• Aggressive language and threats towards others will not be tolerated.

Past Meetings

A Guided Meditation

Every Wednesday, 4:30–4:50PM (EDT) / 3:30PM (CDT) / 1:30PM (PDT)
Hosted by Asif Mian (A ‘18)

A Guided Meditation will happen weekly on Wednesdays at 4:30PM (EDT). We encourage you to RSVP if you are interested in participating, even if you can’t attend all sessions.

Each week, Asif will offer a guided meditation aimed at activating the body and mind. The 20-minute session will bring attention to the different points in the body as we channel this attention up to the mind and activate the creative centers of the brain. We will use focused breathing to center our attention, and light humming to add vibrational energy. Please prepare a quiet place to sit, either in a chair or on the floor, during this session.

Skowhegan Bird Club: Dr. Dakota McCoy on Color and the Material World of Birds & Creativity and Emotions in Birds

Thursday, May 13, 6:30PM ET / 3:30PM PT

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Description by Dr. Dakota McCoy:

Color and the Material World of Birds

Background: colors come from pigments and structures which interact in beautiful and complicated ways.

My work: My research has shown that birds have "super black" feathers that absorb more than 99.9% of light thanks to intricate tiny structures. In the birds of paradise, super black is an optical illusion that makes their bright colors look impossibly bright- even glowing. I further show that sometimes structures interact with red pigment to make colors more, or less, saturated-- a form of deception in mate choice.

Species of interest: Birds-of-paradise (such as the superb bird of paradise), Tanagers of the genus Ramphocelus

Creativity and Emotions in Birds

Background: Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are? How and why do birds build nests, and what can bowerbirds teach us about aesthetic preferences in animals?

My work: I also present my own work showing that New Caledonian Crows- expert tool-makers of the animal kingdom- feel happier after using a tool, similarly to how we feel happier after we solve a crossword or play bridge. I'll describe anecdotal experiences I have had with crows and parrots that reveal their deep inner lives, their joy, and their playfulness. Once, a parrot named Penny taught me how to speak.

Species of interest: Bowerbirds, Fairy Wrens, New Caledonian Crows, Amazon Parrots.

Dr. Dakota "Cody" McCoy is a Rhodes Scholar and evolutionary biologist who recently completed her PhD at Harvard. Cody is captivated by the creativity and color diversity in birds. She researches the material worlds of nature, including the pigments and structures that make certain birds intensely colorful or “super black” (so dark that nearly no light escapes their feathers). Cody has studied ornate birds-of-paradise and brilliant red tanagers, among other birds. In addition, she has investigated what makes intelligent birds happy through field studies on the New Caledonian crow (genius tool-makers of the avian world). In Fall 2021 she will begin as a Stanford Science Fellow. Cody grew up in Pittsburgh, greatest city in the USA, with four siblings and four dogs.

Earth Day

Wed. Apr 22, 2020, 7:30-8:30 pm (EDT)
Hosted by Gabriela Salazar (A ‘11) & Fabian Tabibian (A ‘10)

Happy Hour

Thu. Apr 23, 2020, 5:00-6:00 pm (EDT)
Hosted by Adam Milner (A '18) & Becky Sellinger (A '12)

Saturday Picnic

Sat. Apr 25, 2020, 3:00-4:00 pm (EDT)
Hosted by Bryson Rand (A ‘19)

Unemployment Mutual Aid Meet-Up

Sun. May 24, 2020, 2:00 pm (EDT)
Hosted by Rachel Frank (A ‘05) and Bryson Rand (A '19)

If you’ve been struggling with getting on unemployment after losing work due to COVID-19, this session is aimed at offering a space for our community to help one another. This is not a how-to session, but rather will provide a platform for participants to share tips on what has worked or has not worked for them as they have navigated the system, as well as give space to commiserate and support one another through this confusing and frustrating process. 

This session will center on the unemployment process in New York State, but alumni from other states are welcomed to join.

Poetry Discussion

Sat. July 18, 2020, 5:00pm (EDT) / 4:00pm (CDT) / 2:00pm (PDT)
Hosted by Nasim Hantehzadeh (A '19) and Ariel René Jackson (A '19)

Nasim and Ariel will host a poetry discussion centered on selected works by Forough Farrokhzad (1935–1967), an influential Iranian poet born in Tehran, and Dionne Brand (b. 1953), a Caribbean poet from Trinidad and Tobago who is currently based in Canada. Nasim and Ariel are particularly interested in discussing displacement as it relates to both Farrokhzad and Brand's works.

The group discussion will be guided by selected readings, which have been made available on the Common House page. Attendees are encouraged to read the excerpts and join the open-ended discussion. 

Immigration Anxieties: Sharing Experiences

Thursday, September 3, 7:00 (EST) / 4:00 (PST)
Hosted by Yui Kugimiya (A ‘10) and Naomi Safran-Hon (A ‘12)

Having issues with the U.S. immigration system? While we cannot offer legal advice, we can sympathize. Join us to discuss lawyer scams, potential political relief, and the American dream. 

Exploring Tarot Iconography

Monday, August 31, 8:00PM (EST) / 5:00PM (PST)
A discussion between Alison Saar (F ‘93) and Walter Sutin (A ‘11)

This new interactive series will take a deep dive into the Tarot, card by card. Artists who contributed to the Skowhegan Tarot will speak about cards that are especially meaningful to them and their practice. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own deck to follow along, but slides will be presented.

The first session will feature a conversation between Walter Sutin (A ‘11) and Alison Saar (F ‘93) about their respective contributions to the Skowhegan deck, with the opportunity for questions.

Alison Saar’s sculpture, prints and paintings address issues of race, gender and spirit. She studied art and art history at Scripps College, and received an MFA from the Otis Art Institute. Her awards include a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, National Endowment Fellowships, and the United States Artists Fellowship. Alison has exhibited at many museums, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her art is represented in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She currently resides in Los Angeles and is represented by L.A. Louver Gallery.

Walter Sutin was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1985. He currently lives and works in Spring Valley, California. He is an adjunct professor of art history and drawing at National University, an art teacher at Vista Hill/Stein Education Centers, and a substitute teacher for the San Diego Unified School District. His temperance card for the Skowhegan Tarot was based partially on a trip to the Wilhelm Reich museum near Skowhegan. This trip was also the basis for a mural he painted at the apex of the Fresco Barn. His paintings are intended to simultaneously invoke feelings of ecstasy and crisis.