ArtMill Part II

ArtMill only lasted ten days, but those represented a marathon of cooking, teaching, biking, drawing, campfire rambling, sharing stories and running around with campers and counselors in the enchanted setting of rural South Bohemia.

The Architecture part of our class became time for Roy to help the campers dig a huge pit in the yard for mud baths, and Design collaborated with the Drama class to knit trash into a green slime prop for the play at the closing of the camp. Outside of teaching, we spent many fun hours in the kitchen helping Maruška and Daniel prepare delicious and sometimes extravagant meals and treats for the campers, and when we weren't there, we were usually rafting on the lake or collecting wildflowers.

It's difficult to find a starting point to encompass the magic of ArtMill. There was just so much that occurred, subtly and blatantly, that left an impact on us. Everyone involved with the project brought something unique to the table, and everyone was happy to share talents, aspirations, and efforts with the others. We'll truly miss everyone we met and hope to see them again - perhaps, next year at ArtMill 2012.

ArtMill, Part I

We boarded the train to Horažď'ovice having just recently confirmed our positions working at a summer camp focusing on sustainable creativity for kids called ArtMill. We were met at the station and driven to the mill, about twenty minutes away, along country roads lined with sprawling wheat fields and vibrant red poppies. As we arrived, we were still unsure what our jobs at the camp would be, but it wasn't long before we were appointed to our first task - collecting wildflowers for the opening orientation.

Not long after, we found our niche in the kitchen helping prepare food for the counselors and campers. In the space between meals, we wandered aimlessly and got acquainted with the property. ArtMill currently occupies what was once a massive water-powered flour mill - Červený Mlýn - last renovated in 1927, and existing for over five centuries. The mill itself is situated directly across from (and at a lower elevation to) a sprawling lake, and has been converted to four floors of studio and classroom space, with the uppermost level occupied by droves of nesting swallows, which are visible in every corner of the property.

The days before classes started, with the counselors and campers settled in their respective places, we were approached by ArtMill's director while scrubbing potatoes and informed that the Architecture and Design teacher had canceled last minute, and we were asked to take over. After the initial panic, we found out that our class was scheduled for the following day, and we immediately set to brainstorming ideas for a lesson plan. Inspired by our forest treasures and biomimicry, we decided to teach a lesson about design in nature.

After a brief overview of the basic principles of design, we encouraged each student to design something based on or inspired by the various skulls displayed in class. The results were varied, with some students choosing to take simple forms from the bones to use in their designs, and others looking at it more abstractly - one student went so far as finding inspiration in the moving parts of one skull to liken it to the organized collaboration needed in a shuttle launch.

So far, working at ArtMill has been as hectic as it has been rewarding. We quickly learned that the first tasks - picking wildflowers and then being requested to take over a class - were pretty indicative of the way that this camp is run. Everyone working here seems to want to pour everything they've got into the project - to make this few weeks the best it can be - and so we all run around frantically tying loose ends and doing anything that is needed. There is some special energy inherent in being an artistic, vibrant hub in the midst of endless farmlands and sleepy towns. Here, art is taken seriously - but it is also incorporated into all aspects of the day, and the classes are structured in such a non-hierarchal, conversational way - that the children are naturally taught that art should be revered, but also taken down off the pedestal and recklessly explored.