Quick Drawing Out West
Frequently Asked Questions
Cost: If students choose to fly, they must make their own flight arrangements. See additional info under the subheading “airline flights.” Cost for flights is not included in the price given here. Cost for “in district” students sharing a room with another student is $1992. Students who reside in Texas but are “out of district” will pay $2,190. Students from “out of state” will pay $2,430. Students who wish to have a private room should call or email for those prices. In some cases, a private room may be unavailable.
Accommodations: Students will be staying in quality hotels, cabins, and a ranch. Rooms are nice and clean. All rooms include a shower or bath in suite. Students will not have to “rough it.”
Dates: Students need to arrange their flights to land at Billings Logan International Airport by mid afternoon on Wednesday, May 16. The class will stay in Billings the first night to allow for students to rest and to pick up students who may have had flight problems on May 16. The class will move to Cody on May 17. The class will end at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 29, at Billings Airport. We will be in the west for 14 days. You may drive your own vehicle if you do not wish to fly. This will save $200 from the course price.
Courses: This class will appear as a summer Session I class and will be considered as such. If you plan to attend other Summer Session I courses, you will need to check to see if there is a conflict. Students may enroll in Beginning Drawing 1 ARTS 1316.01 or Drawing II ARTS 1317.01. The course is available for non-credit as well. The course will give the student ample one-on-one interaction with the instructor. Individual and class critiques are part of the course. Most of the drawing will be done out of doors, weather permitting.
The Class: The course will be a unique mixture of history and art. We will be doing plein-air drawing outside at numerous natural and historic sites. Some of these sites are not accessible to the general public. There will be daily lectures on history and art, and then the students will be drawing for the remainder of the day on location. Be sure and bring a camera! There will also be some Indian and cowboy models posing for us.
Class size: The course will be limited to 10-12 students. There is a requirement of 8 students for the class to “make.” It is first-come, first-serve by sending in a $350 non-refundable deposit to the instructor. The deadline for deposits is January 6, 2012. The rest of the money for the course is due on April 1, 2012. The deposit is non-refundable unless the class does not “make” or have 8 students. The deposit is part of the course cost and not an additional one. Sign up early if you wish to participate.
Meals: A continental breakfast or buffet will be included each day during the stay. While staying at the Ucross ranch, you will be fed 2 dinners and 1 lunch as well. For the rest of the class you will be on your own for dinner or lunch. In some cases we will pack a lunch if we are drawing in the field. Food cost normally runs $10-20 a day depending on your eating habits.
Transportation: I will be driving a van that seats 10 students and that is included in the course costs. If you decide to drive your own car you may do that. I will deduct $200 from the course cost if that is the case.
Weather: The weather in the west will be cool and sometimes cold. You can expect to see some snow in mid-May in Yellowstone. It will be 30-40 degrees at night and average about 60-70 degrees in the day. On some rare days it may get into the 80 to 90 degree range but that is rare in May.
Luggage: Due to limited space on the van for luggage, each student should bring only one suitcase plus your drawing materials or portfolio. Do not over pack. Dress will be informal. Bring jeans and several shirts. You may want to bring a swimsuit. We will do laundry once while there, so bring underwear and socks for 7 days. Being able to layer is good if it is cold. Students are responsible for toting their own luggage. Do not bring it if you cannot carry it.
Qualifications: Students not currently enrolled at Temple College must fill out appropriate application forms and send official transcripts to receive college credit. Students must be TSI complete in reading and writing. Students who have 3 semester hours of college level credit from a regionally accredited institution before fall 1989 are exempt from the Texas Higher Education Assessment Test. Any student who is over 65 or has out of state residency does not have to take the test. If you take the class for non-credit, these things do not apply. The cost is the same however.
Airline Flights: Currently flights from Austin to Billings Airport cost about $430 round trip. Do not make flight arrangements until I let you know if the class has made. It would be a good idea to reserve an airline ticket in February. I will pick you up and return you to the airport. You may want to get flight or trip insurance from a travel agent in case something happens and you cannot join us. If you do not want to fly and prefer to drive your own car, expect about a 22-hour drive from Austin to Billings.
Health: Students must be in good health since we will be doing some short hiking in higher altitudes. Bring medications with you, as we may not be near a pharmacy.
Entry fees: All museum and park entrance fees, as well as model fees, are covered in the course price.
Schedule and contact info: Once the class has made, you will receive a schedule and addresses of the places we will be staying. I will also send out an art materials list of what you need to bring for the class.
Instructor: Michael Donahue, chairman of the art department at TC, will teach the class. Donahue has more than 30 years of college teaching experience and was named a Piper Professor, one of the top 10 college and university instructors in the state of Texas, in 1993. He is a practicing artist whose works have been included in over 48 national and regional exhibitions. Donahue has traveled and worked as an artist in France, Italy, and Ireland. He has taken 9 student tours to Ireland. He is also a park ranger and historian at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and his specialty is the history of the Indian wars in northern Wyoming and southern Montana. He has lived in Montana for 22 summers. Donahue is the author of an award winning book-Drawing Battle Lines-The Map Testimony of Custer’s Last Fight.
What you will visit:
“Old Trail Town” a historic collection of western buildings including a saloon, Custer’s Crow scout Curly’s log cabin, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s cabin. Also located on the grounds is a cemetery and memorials to scouts Jim Bridger and “Liver-eating” Jeremiah Johnson.
“The Buffalo Bill Historical Center” includes the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Plains Indian Museum, the Winchester Arms Museum, the Natural History museum, and the Buffalo Bill Museum.
“The Irma Hotel” we will have breakfast at this hotel owned by Buffalo Bill Cody and named after his daughter. In the dining room you will see the cherry-wood bar given to Cody by Queen Victoria.
“Yellowstone National Park” a national treasure of beauty unique because of its geysers and geological formations. We will draw scenic vistas such as the “top of the world” and “artist point” favored by American Artist Thomas Moran.
“The Bighorn County Museum” one of the finest county museums in the country which consists of tipis, log cabins, churchs, schools, and railroad depots plus much more. We will picnic on the grounds as we draw.
“The Deer Medicine Rocks” a sacred Indian site that consists of petroglyph drawings, some that are more than 3,000 years old. A private site that is not accessible to the public, we will get a tour by the owner. In 1876, Lakota Chief Sitting Bull held a sundance below these rocks and prophesied a victory over bluecoats that occurred 3 weeks later at Little Bighorn. See this prophesy etched in the rock.
“Pompey’s Pillar” a unique rock formation that rests along the Yellowstone River which has a great museum. See William Clark’s signature etched in the rock where he passed on his famous expedition into the west. Also the site of brief encounter between 7th cavalry troops under George Custer and the Lakota who would later kill him.
“Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument” more popularly known as Custer’s Last Stand. See the new Indian memorial, the National Cemetery, the soldier mass grave and tour the battlefield with your instructor and guide. Hear a lecture on what happened at this historic site.
“The Ucross Rance” a secluded ranch to allow the student to work quietly on their art without distractions. Piney Creek runs under the big cottonwood trees that grace the property. All meals are served in the ranch house . A pool is available as well as horseback riding for $45 an hour. Nearby we will visit the Ucross Art Foundation and Gallery.
“The Bradford Brinton Memorial Ranch and Art Gallery” a beautifully preserved ranch that contains a small but impressive collection of famous western artists including Remington and Russell.
“Fort Phil Kearny” a museum and fort that was established right after the Civil War and was an intregal part of the “Red Cloud war.”
“The Fetterman Fight Memorial” scene of a famous Indian war fight where 81 soldiers died in a desperate struggle with 2,000 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors in 1866.
“The Wagonbox Fight Memorial” visit the scene of another famous battle between Red Cloud’s Lakota against a handful of civilians and soldiers hiding in wagonboxes. Guess who wins this one? I have a special surprise at this site!
“The Custer Battlefield Trading Post” enjoy a real Indian taco and shop of Indian art and souvenirs. We will draw cowboy and Indian models at this intriguing establishment.
“Sheridan, Wyoming” a great little western town that thrives with cowboys and western art on every corner.
For additional information or to send deposits, please call Michael Donahue (254-298-8570 or 1-800-460-4635 in Texas) or write to: Temple College Art Dept., 2600
South First Street, Temple, Texas 76504-7435.
email:
michael.donahue@templejc.edu
An orientation session will be scheduled before departure.
| Important dates: |
| January 6, 2012 | $350 non-refundable deposit due |
| April 1, 2012 | Remainder of fee due |
| May 16, 2012 | Class begins |
| May 29, 2012 | Class ends |
|
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