"The Bauen Camp is a resource to Sheridan County, the State of Wyoming,
and the art world in general. It places children and young adults in a
beautiful natural setting to plumb the depths of their creativity in a manner
that echoes within them months and years after their stay has ended."

Senator Bruce Burns, Sheridan, WY
Wyoming District #21

The Program

     The Bauen Camp's core activity is its camp sessions held throughout the summer at our campsite in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, 15 miles from Parkman, WY. Camp sessions are staffed by professional artists and arts educators in a variety of disciplines. Each session has a special focus; however, all sessions provide educational experiences in community-building, leadership training, natural and environmental education, career development and skill building in creative writing, visual art, and performance. Over the camp session, youth will be immersed in nature and in practical problem solving, critical thinking, appreciation of diversity, and celebrating the power of shared vision. Sessions conclude with a major youth-led project in which campers plan, create and produce a project based on the interests and talents of that group, articulating and celebrating the group's creative vision. Groups are small and intimate; up to 32 young people take part in each session. Each session staff includes the Camp Director, Guest Artist/Session Director(s), four to six Counselor/Teachers, two Education Interns, a Cook, Volunteers and adjunct faculty.

     Campers will participate together in the instruction workshops of the early days of camp. Later, campers will have the opportunity to select areas of focus. Instruction will be offered in the following areas:

Creative Writing: poetry, playwrighting, personal essays
Visual Art: painting, drawing, installation art, puppetry, ceramics, filmmaking and photography
Interpersonal & Group Communications: critical thinking, group facilitation, community-building
The Natural World: astronomy, geology, outdoor living skills, environmental education

     Campers are encouraged to carry their new skills and new ideas back home with them, sharing them with their families, schools and peers. All students from the Bauen National Youth Outreach Project state and cities - Wyoming, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York - also have the opportunity to be part of a Bauen Camp Network during the school year, where Bauen-trained mentors facilitate campers continuing artistic and social growth, leadership, and community participation.

Session One  THEATER, POETRY & SCULPTURE including a public art project.      July 8- July 27, 2009
Students will learn skills in acting, poetry, movement and sculpture. Campers stories of their own lives, reflections of camp and perspective on "home" will provide the foundation for the multi-disciplinary youth led public performance on July 25, 2009. This session will also host 4 teachers participating in Bauen's Education Intern and Fellows Program. Session Directors will be announced on January 31, 2009.

Who are the Bauen campers and staff?
     They come from dozens of states in the U.S. and a handfull of countries from around the world. Campers are ages 13-18 and have a wide variety of interests with a primary focus on art..visual, performance, writing, movement and music. Bauen Campers have a desire to learn about many kinds of art and put their new knowledge to work at home and in their communities. Bauen Campers love to ask questions and explore new territories and want to understand different kinds of people.