Art Design PLAY
Join the art and design students on a trip to explore the San Jacinto forest via the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. Edited by Chloe Ahmundson.
The art & design department took a field trip out into another planet where students were led into a guided drawing experience by three talented artist’s visiting from Alaska.
Here are a few quotes students had from their Joshua Tree experience:
“The experience in Jtree changed my perspective on still life drawing. I’ve always had trouble with patience, especially in drawing but the workshop caused me to get lost in the shapes and forms of what I was studying. It probably helps that I enjoy nature a lot.” — Brigitta
“I had such a great time in Jtree. The day was shared with awesome friends and It was a pleasure to hang out with the three talented artists visiting from Alaska. I’ve never been to a drawing workshop and it was such a neat experience to have that wokshop out in Joshua Tree. These artist’s experience comes from their removal from society and full immersion out in nature where they observe and create. So It was really neat to be guided and taught by them.” — Lauren
“My experience during this trip was truly one for the books. The three visiting artists, Bill, Klara and Lindsay had so much wisdom and thought-provoking conversation to offer in Joshua Tree; I deeply appreciated each moment in which I learned something new from them and their profound connection to nature.
Concerning our overnight escapade, I had camped out only once before in a different desert location, but this was my first time experiencing all that Joshua Tree had to offer– after hours. The stars were stunning and sunrise even more so, at night I could hear coyotes howling in the distance as I snuggled up into my sleeping bag; the desert is so endlessly magical at night. I can’t get enough. This whole beautifully surreal trip fully allowed me to reconnect with nature, myself, and my passion to create, and I can’t wait to do it again. ” — Kayla
“ The art department is full of amazing people who made Joshua Tree a memorable trip! Next time I’m definitely camping!” — Ariana ( This was her first trip with the A+D!)
“This wasn’t my first time exploring Joshua Tree but it was the first time that I camped there and it was such a surreal experience, and I would love to do it again.” — Serena
“ The trip was fun because we got to express ourselves and creativity through photography- and modeling and the company was fun and in the end we got some good food!” –Nushi
“The Desert X trip as a whole was just absolutely FANTASTIC! My favorite installation was the “Drive-In”, by Superflex. Seeing the scale of the piece up-close brought it to life! I was super inspired by the entire trip and plan on incorporating larger scales into my personal at work.” – Sessaleena Gifford
“I really enjoy these art inspired field trips that the A&D department take and Desert X was another really enjoyable trip. My favorite installation was “A Point of View” by Ivan Argote. The project included five sets of stairs with engraved words in English and Spanish on every step. Each stair case had a different view. I had a peaceful and zen moment standing on a high platform overlooking the salton sea.” – Lauren Bergey
I had a peaceful and zen moment standing on a high platform overlooking the salton sea.
“My favorite trips are the ones that have a loose enough plan to include surprises along the way. We certainly found some interesting surprises outside of the Desert X art installations—International Banana Museum, a dip in the ‘Mistake’ at Corvina Beach, and skateboarding on the frontage road.”
–Tim Musso
“As an introverted person, stepping out from my comfort zone wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I honestly had such a fun time exploring the interesting/ bizarre places around Deseret X. ( I also learned that upperclassman don’t bite)”
–Michelle Hwang
“Some of my favorite moments on this trip were not even planned, whether it was a mini skateboard sesh on a deserted road or visiting the international museum of bananas for $1! Also being able to see Nancy’s augmented reality artwork and actually being able to interact with her work was awesome”
–Megan Joseph
Brandstater Gallery artist Mark Baugh-Sasaki along with Art + Design students escape to Manzanar for an inspiration workshop
