VCAC HISTORY

The seeds for a sustainable arts community near Ewen, MI were planted in 2007 with the donation of a building from the nearby Sylvania Wilderness Area. Their gift of a 1960’s A-Frame to long-time Forest Service volunteer Cameron Coleman came with the stipulation that he remove it from the forest.

That year, three artists from Minneapolis disassembled the building and transported its components to our current site. In 2008, a group of fifteen artists from across the country met to re-assemble it. This building was used as the Sylvania Wilderness entrance station. Being something like a forestry Visitor Center, this became the namesake for the camp, and our first point of departure for the growing creative endeavor that has ensued.

Each following summer we have gathered here with the intention of building relationships between creative people and the U.P. community, developing arts programming using local materials, and focusing on environmental sustainability and cooperative practice.

The Visitor Center hosted its first annual Artist Residency, also titled, "DIY Sustainable Adventure Art Symposium," in August, 2014. In tandem with our inaugural year, we founded the Ewen Arts Festival, which included an exhibition of work by local artists and VCAC artists, with artist presentations, live music, raku firing and metal pour demonstrations, all open to the public.

Early on, we teamed up with local homesteader, saw mill operator and timber framing expert, Mel Seeger, who builds everything he needs himself. He built our beautiful timber-framed barn which we dubbed the Seeger Studio Barn, and the Great Hall Picnic Pavilion. Mel logged and milled the wood for our Kiln Shed, and resident artists have participated in workshops with Mel to build our Clay Cathedral, and Grillikota Sauna.

The grounds - Building the vcac

the original a-frame and the Seeger studio barn

Once the Sylvania Wilderness Entrance Station,

we rebuilt the A-frame on our site in the UP

piece by piece!

Now it houses our staff.

Holes were augured for a barn foundation,

and Mel Seeger built our barn by hand!

We helped finish the decks,

and began furnishing the inside.

Upstairs is the Bird's Nest Lounge,

useful for studio work too.

When it was finished, we celebrated!

We adore the Seeger Studio Barn!

the kitchen - chow hut and great hall Picnic Pavilion

Starting with a simple shelter,

we built the Chow Hut in 2014.

We fitted it with shelving, counters,

and a dish washing station,

using all reclaimed materials!

We cook with wood and propane stoves.

We made a bivouac & repaired picnic tables,

but soon Mel and Cameron went to work,

using lumber Mel milled himself,

to build a beautiful new dining pavilion

next to our little Chow Hut.

We call it the Great Hall.

We finished the roof,

with reclaimed siding from an old barn.

We love our Great Dining Hall!

composting privies

We built boxes to fit 5-gallon buckets,

made t.p. holders from coffee cans,

and set up outdoor privies in the trees.

We built a corral for composting the waste.

Mel Seeger built us some sheltered outhouses,

and we cut windows and installed screens.

We use peat moss to aid in composting.

Now you can choose to go inside,

or outside! Creating wonderful hu-manure!

The Water grove

We planned the design

and built a platform

using all reclaimed wood and vinyl planks.

we raised the walls,

whacked through bushes to bury the water line,

and used a pickle barrel for the water tank.

But it couldn't take the pressure!

So we adapted an old water heater tank,

and set up a utility sink and faucet.

We placed the tank on top

to utilize gravity and the warmth of the sun.

We painted the tank black!

Now we have a solar-heated shower!

trails, campgrounds, and the palace

We have miles of hiking trails!

They are all marked and color-coded.

Every year we clear the trails.

Cameron keeps them mowed for ease!

We have lots of space for camping!

Set up near the pond,

up the hill, or hidden in the trees!

Fire pits make great hangout spots!

You'll see many beautiful sights,

from wildflowers, to wild berries,

to wildlife!

You'll see bridges we built out there, too.

you'll find The Palace!

The Palace is a reclaimed hunting blind,

wonderful for a solitary studio experience!

You may even come across an art installation,

or maybe you'll add your own!

If you venture down the right trail,

There is a hidden stage out there too,

built by an artist! It's great for performances!

Mix ecology, sculpture, music, & performance!

Motion-activated trail cameras give a glimpse

of the shy wildlife hiding in the woods.

If you're lucky you'll catch your own glimpse!

Local clay workshop - studio builds

At first, we dried all our clay outside,

in the sun or around a fire.

But sometimes it rains, and there's no sun,

so we stacked up drying racks above hot coals.

We needed more shelter, but had limited time.

So with a basic design and Mel Seeger's help,

we built a temporary drying shelter,

with a fire pit for making coals nearby.

We used reclaimed barn siding for the roof,

and made space for a covered raku-firing area.

We made a flue for venting the kiln fumes,

and our Fire Shed was cookin' day and night!

For our 2017 Sustainable Building Workshop,

we're building a larger, permanent Fire Shed,

for all our drying and firing needs!

We'll be converting this electric kiln to gas,

for ceramic shell wax melt-out and firing!

We've also installed this beautiful outdoor kiln,

a raku-kiln from the U of MN Art Department!

We hauled it from MN to the UP,

and with much help from our Yooper friends,

We leveled a site, and placed our new kiln!

Since then we have had an adventure,

building a Kiln Shed around this big baby!