I just got back from an incredible three weeks at the Caldera Arts Camp outside of Sisters, Oregon. I assisted filmmaker/photographer Inye Wokoma (camp name: Free I) as we taught high school digital storytelling techniques. Catch a glimpse at the work these amazing students have been doing: http://calderastudentblog.tumblr.com/.
One of the best parts of my time there was swimming in Blue Lake. Blue Lake is the second deepest lake in Oregon (after Crater Lake) at 314 feet, created by an imploding volcano. It’s also freezing cold, and there are rumors that 7-foot sturgeon swim its deepest corners. When members of Native American tribes of the Northwest were dying, they would travel to Blue Lake, jump in, and die there. Needless to say, there is a definite power of the lake that I was drawn to.
I woke up early one morning and filmed myself swimming in Blue Lake for a video poem I’m working on. I think there is lots of Caldera-inspired art in my future…
Alley Pezanoski-Browne 