1. Bauen Camp Observations

 The observations were conducted by Cory Burghy and Chrissy Wade, two Ph.D. candidates from the University of Wyoming. The direct questions by the returning students all are very positive and indicate a positive experience.

Session 1, 7/15/06
Observations by Cory Burghy & Chrissy Wade

1. Overall impressions
1. The theme of this camp was performing arts, including poetry, music, dance, and theater, and it was clear from the instant one set foot on camp that these were the passions of these kids
2. One of the directors and many counselors stated that this camp was very “youth led” which made for a very energetic camp
3. It must also be noted that we were observing after two campers had been asked to leave.  Thus our observations only speak to the time after the dismissal. 
2. We first joined the campers in the barn for “free time”
1. The kids were very busy getting the final details done for their final performance the following day

1. Activities included sewing, painting, playing instruments, singing, and puppet-making

2. There was a very comfortable, relaxed atmosphere
3. Campers seemed to be very involved and in to a rhythm in what they were doing

1. It became clear at this point, as stated by staff previously, that this was a very camper-led camp, as all the campers seemed involved in projects of their own choosing

4. The campers were expressing themselves, through art and song, in front of each other

1. It was interesting to note that they felt safe enough to do this

5. The campers also seemed to be able to keep themselves busy

1. Although the counselors were occasionally involved in redirection, it seemed to be a fairly rare occasion
2. When campers were redirected, they seemed very respectful and responsive to requests

6. Campers also often shared their projects and ideas with the counselors and directors

1. Campers’ ideas were praised and encouraged
2. Counselors and campers often joined together in singing songs

7. One camper was encouraged to turn his talent outside of camp (i.e. creating duct tape wallets) into an art talent (i.e. making masks out of duct tape)
8. The environment in the barn was very encouraging of art, yet somewhat disorganized

1. A junior counselor pointed out to one of the directors that the barn was becoming messy
1. The director asked the junior counselor to tell the campers, but the counselor hesitated so the director said something
2. The campers seemed to ignore the director and just continue on in their projects

9. There was a lot of camper support shown during this time

1. Some kids were working on learning songs and they would help each other learn the right words and notes – very supportive

3. The campers then went on a trip to a nearby river (as it was extremely hot outside)
1. The campers all got in the river to cool off and most of them seemed to enjoy the break from the heat
4. After coming back from the river, dinner was waiting (the directors and a handful of campers stayed back to get it ready)
1. Dinner was full of joking and laughing
2. The group was fairly dynamic, considering the heat of the day
3. Some talk of being homesick and being ready to see family and friends
4. Dinner was set up so as to encourage community

1. One person was put in charge of bringing the food to the table
2. Food was served family-style at the tables
3. Everyone was expected to help clean up after dinner

5. Dinner was then followed by a rough rehearsal for the performance the campers were putting on the following day
1. On the way to dinner, while walking past the cabins, it was interesting to note the number of books, journals, and pieces of music that were visible through the windows
2. The directors were very consistent in telling the kids how wonderful their products were
3. The campers were a little restless during the rehearsal process

1. Lots of time was spent trying to get the campers on board
2. Might have been helpful to set up expectations for the time prior to beginning the rehearsal
3. Transitioning between free-time (in the barn and the river and at dinner) might have been difficult for the campers

4. During the rehearsal, one of the campers became very upset and didn’t want to participate anymore

1. A counselor and a director used it as an opportunity to teach the camper about dealing with life stress and pressure
2. One of the counselors said, “The more you complain, the deeper hole you dig yourself into”

5. One of the pieces involved a camper who created a rap that all of the other campers were a part of

1. Really seemed to display a mixing of culture – the rap clearly was affected by the camper’s experiences

6. One camper was clearly upset and embarrassed during the rehearsal

1. Although no campers consoled her, only a counselor did, none of the campers laughed either

6. The rehearsal was ended with a few points of concern brought up by a counselor, a camper, and a director about general respect and cleanliness
1. Dishes were not washed properly
2. Supplies were not cleaned properly
7. Quotes from campers:
1. On camper, while talking about his experience being on a TV program:  “I’m not going to drop out of school just cause I’m on TV – I’d like to be educated and know about natural history”
2. At dinner, when talking about being homesick, one kid said, “Yah I miss my family and want to go home, but at the same time they’re why I stay – they’re proud of me”
3. When asked about the camp experience, one camper said, “It’s great because you get to be around people with the same interests as you”

II. Bauen Camp Observations

Session 2, 7/28/06 – 7/29/06
Observations by Chrissy Wade & Cory Burghy

8. Overall impressions
1. Visual arts theme, including graffiti, murals, paintings, etc.
2. This session had a much different vibe than the first session – based on observations as well as discussions with campers and counselors, it was less camper directed, there was less cohesion among the group, and there was a more disjointed feeling
3. Seemed to be “clicks” based around campers who already knew each other before camp
9. We started out by first discussing the camp and the vision for this camp with one of the directors:
1. Camp projects

1. The main project for the camp was the creation of a mural
2. Thus color theory via portraits and individual projects would lead up to this integration of ideas
3. Sees an “awakening” in students that come out to camp
4. Campers are learning how to make a medicine bag
1. Allows the inclusion of Native American culture and history
5. Teaching kids about math, history, culture, science, language, and other areas of knowledge through art
1. For example, the healing ability of color and how color waves are produced

2. Goals for this camp

1. Providing a space in which the campers can become aware of nature
2. A place to bring people together from throughout the world
3. Learning to transfer writing concepts into visual concepts
4. Concept development
5. Team building through merging ideas into tangible composition
6. Creating a mural that will last for decades and will travel the states

3. On the campers:

1. Sees kids at this camp as being very talented while at the same time all have a lot going on in their lives which makes it interesting to see how they handle things
2. “The rhythm that goes on here is like a drum beat – it’s pretty disciplined”
3. Always surprised by the focus of the camper’s energy
4. The effort to get campers to come up with their own themes and issues is difficult to do because they don’t usually do it
5. However campers are starting to bring out their own perspectives
6. Starting to see the campers unite as a team, which the mural will encourage as well
7. The use of graffiti is allowing campers to express a variety of points of views, city and family situations, and culture
8. It’s taken a while for the campers to get into a rhythm, but not a lot of discipline has been needed
9. Really dynamic kids

4. What do you want the kids to take from their camp experience?

1. That they were valued as individuals and as a group
2. That they are able to accomplish something that will exist for years
3. That art can be a tool to solve or be a part of a solution to problems
4. That murals are open books to a community…  A community learns from them, people are represented by them, and they are a non-censored expression of an individual that then gets reflected back into the community.
5. That art makes you a stronger individual by teaching you about yourself

10. Next we had dinner with the campers
1. The campers were given a chance to give thanks:

1. One camper gave thanks for getting fit (as they had just returned from a hike)
2. Another camper gave thanks to the counselors for putting up with her complaining because they didn’t have to do that

2. This camp right off the bat seemed much more splintered from the start
3. Tables were often based on friendships formed prior to camp
10. The kids then had some free time
1. In the barn, the kids had created artwork

1. Pieces of Wyoming and Indian culture were incorporated into their art
2. Also many reflections of the kids’ home lives in their art
1. Art depicted guns and drugs
3. One camper said that she tried to incorporate her native New York into her art by including pictures of fists, microphones, dancing, and the cityscape

2. At the volleyball court, kids were cheering each other on and clapping for each other.

1. One girl missed the ball and nothing negative was said
2. Kids were asking what the other volleyball skills the other campers needed help with and then they would all help that person practice
3. A few kids would also demonstrate how to hit the ball to kids who were struggling

12. Next the campers were all brought into the field to help make a teepee
1. The kids were initially not involved in the project, so they started chatting
2. There was an obvious division in to social groups that had been formed
3. This project involved most of the kids by the end, however there were no expectations or directions at the beginning so frustration was being expressed on the part of the counselors (when kids weren’t doing what they wanted) and on the part of the kids (because they felt they didn’t have anything to do)
13. I spent some time during the teepee activity talking with one of the counselors
1. She said that the group for this second session was much different than the campers from the first session.

1. First, she said it took longer this time for the kids to gel, possible due to the fact that many kids for this session came already knowing other campers
2. She also said that it was hard this time stepping back and letting the kids take longer to come together

2. She also said that it was really nice to have the wisdom of some more seasoned counselors there

1. For example, learning how to step back when a group isn’t clicking at first
2. Also got help dealing with a girl who had been disrespectful to a counselor on a hike they had taken earlier

3. Finally she said it was different to be a vocal and expressive person at this camp since it was a visual arts camp and thus the campers seemed more internal than in the first session
13. The next morning we found out that some personal belongings had been stolen previously and had still not been returned
1. The plan was to talk with the girls initially (since the theft happened in a girls’ cabin)
2. The director expressed how he was trying to relate the theft to the kids in terms of broken trust
14. We then joined the kids in the middle of their morning stretching
1. The counselor leading this program was very good at redirecting focus when the campers got off track by saying “Is everyone listening?” and then moving on to the next piece
2. The counselors were giving a lot of 1:1 attention to the campers
3. The exercises also involved karate to get kids moving and aware of their body in space
4. The counselors frequently seemed to interact with the same kids
5. The campers seemed to respect the counselor’s requests
6. Many things about the karate were put into a behavioral philosophy, such as when the counselor leading the activity said “Sometimes you have to push to get what you want, but sometimes you have to let them go in a direction you don’t want them to go,” relating the karate moves they were doing to life in general.
7. At the end of the exercise the kids and counselors all bowed and clapped to each other to show respect
15. The campers then moved into their morning workshop
1. First, one of the directors started by discussing the consequences of unlawful graffiti, and the other options kids have to express themselves
2. The kids seemed to get restless as many “to-do’s” and announcements were thrown in here and there along with the workshop discussion – maybe would work better with a special time for this? (maybe breakfast?)
3. During the workshop, the campers were really allowed to work and rework on their projects with a multitude of supplies and materials
4. The campers often asked each other about their projects
5. Many kids spoke in Spanish to each other
6. Math was folded in to some of the project discussions – for example, the director talked with one camper about the concepts of scaling, shrinking, and consolidating and how you could go about doing those things.
7. Campers would ask how to do something (e.g. how to draw a hand) and they were encouraged to try to figure it out (e.g. look at a model of a hand and try to draw it)
8. One of the directors spent a lot of time with one of the campers examining and discussing the camper’s artwork and sketches
16. Quotes from campers:
1. “Camp is better than New York where there’s always sirens”
2. “I love it here”
3. “I like it here, it’s peaceful”
4. “[Camp] is too long – it would have been better if I had come with someone I know”
5. “I go to the art studio every day”
6. “I’ve learned how to make any color in my mind with just red, yellow, and blue”
7. “I like it [camp] – it’s better than my other camps, it’s more chill”
8. “I miss my parents”

III. Bauen Camp Observations

Session 3, 8/18/06
Phone Interviews
-Cory Burghy & Chrissy Wade

18. Interview with director:
1. What is the atmosphere of the camp?

1. The camp has a casual atmosphere
2. She believes in allowing flexibility when it comes to the camp
3. The focus of this camp is on a collaborative performance which will include dance (including chair pieces and ballet), puppetry and land art
4. The campers seem motivated, committed, and supportive
5. It’s a very different atmosphere in that it’s all girls so there is a lot of respect
6. The counselors are doing a good job of nipping things in the butt before they become an issue
7. Everything is collaborative at this camp (except in independent journal writing)

2. What are the campers like?

1. Most of the girls are from performance and charter schools
2. Multi-ethnic
3. One girl had never seen a sunset before
4. Some girls have talked about how the stars out here blow their minds
5. Some are from privileged backgrounds too

3. What are your goals for the camp?

1. To create a supportive and not competitive environment
2. To make a fast show
3. To create structured “boxes” for actors to work in quickly
1. e.g. body sculpting – kids form group sculptures with their bodies and then are given 5 minutes to create a flip book that includes their body sculpture and then 2 body forms before and 3 after than tell a story when put all together

19. Interview with a camper from Sheridan, WY
1. What is your experience like?

1. 2nd time at Bauen
2. Absolutely loves it – it’s like her second home, it’s very comfortable
3. There’s lots of creativity of different kinds of things to do
1. Projects involve a little bit of everything
4. The first camp she went to, she met a lot of people and it was a really different atmosphere
1. At this camp everyone is focused and it’s less laid back
5. After her first camp experience, she turned into a different person, in a good way – it gave her a lot to think about
1. This time is similar – first time she learned about herself, and this time that understanding has deepened.
2. The other girl campers have taught her a lot
6. She brought her guitar and has learned lots of new things with it
7. This camp is really creative and she’s getting a chance to do things with art that she wouldn’t otherwise do

2. What are the other campers like?

1. Everyone freezes in the morning (whereas she’s used to it)
2. People think before coming to camp that Wyoming is more secluded than it is
3. It’s a very cooperative group – everyone participates and helps with the performance, which makes everything easier

20. Interview with camper from Casper, WY
1. What is your experience like?

1. Pretty good
2. They do a lot of fun stuff
3. There’s a lot of different kinds of art
4. She tends to do visual and performing arts, which fits with the camp’s theme
5. She’s getting to make different things with different mediums and also do lots of performing
6. The camp is one big group where they all work together
7. She feels a little rushed since it’s the shortest session with the most amount of stuff to do, but it’s still fun

2. What things that you’ve learned at camp do you think you can take back to Casper with you?

1. Land art, martial arts, and performance knowledge

21. Interview with camper from New York
1. What is your experience like?

1. This is her 2nd time here and it’s the greatest experience ever
2. Last year, it was a more visual session with lots of hands-on projects
1. This time it’s performing arts in different ways and visual arts in different ways
3. She though this camp would be similar to the last camp but this time there are no boys, which she liked it more with the boys but she’s still enjoying the all-girls camp
4. She’s enjoying getting back in touch with the counselors
5. It’s going great, but there’s not as much time (2 weeks at her first camp vs 9 days this time)
6. She’s getting to work on art that she doesn’t usually have time for
7. She’s going to be able to take her art home and show it off

2. What do you want to do with your art?

1. She loves writing and traveling and performance arts
1. Would like to do journalism
2. She sees herself doing art and journalism around the world
3. She’s always taken her art into the community
1. She brings what she learns at camp workshops back home
2. She had an internship in which she was able to use activities she learned at camp

3. What do you get out of camp the first time?

1. Last year she helped to create a puppet, but this year she’s doing it on her own
2. She created her own sketch book
3. In New York she doesn’t always have the time and opportunity like she does here to work on art

4. What do you think of coming to Wyoming?

1. It reminds her a lot of Columbia (where she lived for a while)
1. Similar country
2. She hopes to come again next year

22. Interview with Jessica
1. What is this camp like?

1. Because it’s all girls, it’s a breath of fresh air
1. The food and water lasts longer
2. The philosophy of the directors is airier but structured
3. Much shorter – only 8 days
1. That means less extra activities (e.g. only 1 field trip and 1 day hiking)
2. It’s a faster tempo, which she doesn’t think is all bad