“Unplug” > through direct contact with the creatures, geologies, hydrologies and infrastructures of the Nonotuck biome and the Westfield River watershed.
On Sundays, we’ll walk up to 4 miles through moderate terrain, exploring the vivacities of “our place”—mixing physical with intellectual exercise, deep biotic immersion with freeflowing discussion.
Students receive readings before we walk to cue us to essential concepts in environmental philosophy, and establish cultural- and natural- historical contexts for the places we’ll explore.
Places are stories we live in. To understand the living narrative of the mid CT River watershed, and our own roles as characters in it, Our Place School will introduce you to sites charged with biocultural historical content. You’ll develop the skill ecosemiotics: of reading and interpreting “place”. This skill allows you to gain control over the character you have been allotted in the story that is our place. It prepares you to transform that role, to re imagine and rewrite your own narrative of how you fit in to the biophysical designs that sustain us.
At the same time, we’ll practice awakening our biotic self, the animal we are that co-inhabits our biome with all other creatures, gaining fresh awareness of and sensitivity towards the living ecological systems that make us. Due to our industrial upbringings, our biotic self is commonly undiscovered or undeveloped. By walking and tuning into the bios—the circulant shared life of our place—we find a beautiful, powerful part of ourselves that’s always been there waiting for us to realize it.
We are more than we have ever been taught.
PLEASE read our most recent COVID-19 procedures and policies update before registering.
The Biocitizen van will depart at 10 am and return at 3pm to Sheldon Field on these Sundays:
Tuition is $400.00 or $55.00 per class
If you would like to learn more, please call 413.320.0522 and speak with Our Place director Kurt Heidinger, or send a note
