Mariposa County Arts Council Announces Upcoming Arist Community Engagement Events

The Mariposa County Arts Council is excited to invite the community to the upcoming events hosted by local and visiting artists as part of the Mariposa Creek Parkway Artist in Residency (AiR) program. The AiR program is a pilot initiative funded by California Arts in Parks and is a local partnership between the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, Sierra Foothill Conservancy, and Mariposa County. This initiative invites emerging, mid-career, and distinguished artists of all art forms to respond and engage with the unique cultural, ecological, and wildfire challenges of the Mariposa Creek Parkway and is a model for how public parks can foster climate adaptation, cultural continuity, and civic imagination, through the transformative power of the arts.

All of the events are free, open to the public, with snacks and refreshments provided. Specific events may have age restrictions or require registration in advance. Review each event’s description in detail or reach out to the Mariposa County Arts Council staff to learn more. We hope that you will join us in celebrating the Mariposa Creek Parkway through the different creative visions of this year’s selected AiR artists.

Nature Journaling series hosted by Stephanie Troyan, visiting artist:
All nature journaling workshops are for participants ages 18 and older. No previous art experience is required-beginners and experienced artists alike are welcome. Each class is limited to 12 participants, so early registration is encouraged to reserve your space. If you’re unable to attend, please cancel your reservation so others may join. All materials will be provided, and you’ll leave with tools to continue your journaling practice. Please come ready to participate, your presence helps shape the shared experience. Classes may be taken individually or as a series. Registration and waiver are available online. For accommodation requests, please contact the Mariposa County Arts Council at least five days in advance.

Nature Journaling (Trees)
Where: Mariposa County Arts Park
When: April 18th; 10 AM – 12 PM PST
Registration: https://forms.gle/URUUtNr9o7Rdtdvp6
Celebrate Arbor Day together by observing and documenting the beauty and science of the trees around us. In this workshop, you’ll learn the basics of watercolor nature journaling: how to notice closely, gather observations and curiosities, and playfully capture them through paper and color. We’ll explore how to document details such as metadata, questions, diagrams, and measurements, and how to translate these observations into a phenology wheel, a circular chart that tracks seasonal change, including the life cycles of trees. The class will begin at tables with guided instruction, followed by an optional tree walk and outdoor sketching session. During the walk, you’ll experience music created from live trees using technology that translates plant biodata into sound, offering a new way to connect with the living landscape.

Nature Journaling (Color)
Where: Mariposa County Arts Park
When: April 25th; 10 AM – 12 PM PST
Registration: https://forms.gle/oWqyuVczjdBiZKHt9
Spring brings a burst of color, creating a vibrant world all around us. The purple Lupine, pink Western Redbud, and orange Monarch butterfly are just the beginning of Mariposa’s unfolding color story. Join us for this watercolor workshop, where you’ll learn how to transform three colors into a full spectrum of 36 through a color wheel. We’ll begin with guided instruction at tables, then move into an optional color walk and outdoor painting session to observe and mix hues directly from the landscape.

Nature Journaling (Accordion Journal Making)
Where: Mariposa County Library Community Room
When: April 26th; 10 AM – 12 PM PST
Registration: https://forms.gle/VZASiwvdYHznya1H6
Mariposa is home to a rich diversity of flora, fauna, weather, and geology, shifting and evolving with each season. Join us in this workshop, where you will begin by creating a watercolor palette inspired by the plants, butterflies, and wildlife of this place. You’ll then handcraft a zine-style nature journal to capture your observations over time. These seasonal journals will become the foundation for a year-long phenology wheel, a circular, illustrated chart that documents the changing seasons. Beginning with the inspiration of spring, this workshop will introduce the tools and practices you can carry forward to complete your wheel throughout the year.

Nature Journaling (Moon)
Where: Mariposa County Arts Park
When: May 1st; 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM PST
Registration: https://forms.gle/anrG21oQ2qZjn4d58
Mark your calendar for May’s full moon! Join us in celebrating the changing season by watercolor painting the Flower Moon, a reflection of the blooms that emerge this time of year. In this workshop, you’ll use a phenology wheel, a circular chart for tracking seasonal change, to document the rhythms of May, including its moon phases. You’ll also be invited to sketch the flowers that inspire you, connecting your observations of the landscape with the cycles of the sky.

Events hosted by the Bootjack Clay Shack, local artist organization:

Community Clay Building Day
Where: Mariposa County Arts Park
When: May 17th, 2-6 PM PST
Registration: https://forms.gle/LLmtxXM9mHvknwC69
Please register in advance for this free, all-ages community clay building day. You will get to sculpt basic small animals native to the local area using red California clay. All skill levels and ages are welcome at this workshop. Children under the age of 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Beaver Sculpture Unveiling and Naming Ceremony
Where: Viewing platform at the end of 5th Street by Mariposa Fitness Studio and the start of the Mariposa Creek Parkway
When: TBD
As part of the Bootjack Clay Shack’s residency, the collective is creating a beaver sculpture from native California clay to be installed along the Mariposa Creek Parkway to celebrate ongoing restoration efforts. Join us in welcoming the new addition to the creek for the community to enjoy for years to come.
Registration is not required and all ages are welcome.

For more information about the Mariposa Creek Parkway AiR artists or any other AiR program inquiries visit mariposaartscouncil.org/air/ or contact:
Polina Pivak
Program Manager/Lead Teaching Artist
pivak@mariposaartscouncil.org
(209) 966-3155

Support the arts in Mariposa County by becoming a member today at mariposaartscouncil.org/join/

The Arts Council is an incorporated not-for-profit organization, created to promote and support all forms of the cultural arts, for all ages, throughout Mariposa County. It is supported in part by the County of Mariposa, the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the California Arts Council, a state agency.

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