Summer 2026

 

ART 4800: Out of place: Field Studies in Photography and Printmaking Taos

May 18-29, 2026

Instructor: Shelby Roberts  | Department of Art, Graphic Design and Art History

Marika Christofides | Department of Art, Graphic Design and Art History

 

The vibrant natural and cultural landscape of Taos provides an ideal setting for exploring color. In this course, each student will create a handmade sketchbook filled with drawings that engage with and respond to the arts, architecture, culture, and natural surroundings of Taos. We will emphasize daily observational drawing as both a core practice and a key tool for documenting experiences. At the same time, students will experiment with various color media and approaches to perception.

 

BIOL 3700: Biodiversity Appreciation

June 8-19, 2026

Neil A. Gilbert, PhD  | Department of Biology

 

We live on the only planet known to support life and are surrounded by thousands of species in our everyday lives. And yet, we are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature; we often do not even notice our non-human neighbors, and seldom do we take full stock of our human influence on the natural world. The goal of Biodiversity Appreciation is to explore biodiversity science and our place in the world. The course will involve daily field trips to introduce students first-hand to the species and major habitats of northern New Mexico, ranging from low-elevation sagebrush flats to high-elevation coniferous forest. We will also explore how humans relate to nature through discussions of environmental literature and art from the Santa Fe and Taos region. Learning outcomes include (1) the ability to identify 100+ plant and animal species found in northern New Mexico as well as a basic understanding of their life history, (2) appreciation of the history of Taos and the major ways humans have influenced species and landscapes in the region, and (3) reflections on personal connection to and experiences in nature. Students will be evaluated on (1) an independent, creative project, (2) an in-class presentation, and (3) a biodiversity portfolio. To fully participate in the course, students should be prepared to 2–3 miles, sometimes under uncomfortable or challenging conditions (e.g., heat or high elevation).

 

ENGL 4640/ENGL 6140: The Enchanted Ekphrastic in Taos

June 8-19, 2026

Stephanie Choi | Department of English

 

This creative writing course will explore and wrestle with the tradition of ekphrastic writing in the Western literary canon, specifically through lenses and landscapes of the various artist communities that have made Taos their home and muse—from Puebloan to Spanish colonial to the Taos Society of Artists, as well as other modernist and avant-garde settlers.  We will focus our study on the tensions and harmonies that exist within the artistic processes and artworks themselves of these entangled communities. We will spend the first week of the course discussing assigned readings—both creative and critical—and visiting museums and historic sites around Taos where we can build our knowledge of the history and traditions of the art community. These sites will include the Taos Pueblo, San Francisco de Asis Catholic Church, Couse-Sharp Historic Site, The Harwood Museum, and Georgia O’Keefe’s home and studio Abiquiú. The second week of the course will focus on ekphrastic writing experiments (prompted and inspired by the artworks seen in the first week and directed writing prompts) and workshopping with peers. Additionally, we will visit contemporary art galleries and hear from living artists in Taos in order to better understand how the current art community is influenced by but also evolving from its past. The final project, which will be due two weeks after the on-site portion of the course, will consist of a 1,500-word critical reflection and a portfolio of revised creative pieces produced during the course. 

 

ARCH 4100: Taos Transect: Where Law, History, and Architecture Intersect

July 6-17, 2026

Instructor: Bailey Morgan Brown Mitchell | School of Architecture

Instructor: Blake Mitchell | School of Architecture

 

This interdisciplinary course examines how architectural regulations shape not just buildings, but cultural identity. Using Taos, New Mexico, as our living laboratory, students will investigate the town's distinctive "Taos Style" ordinances, which create and maintain Pueblo/Spanish Revival aesthetics in commercial zones, to understand how legal frameworks construct the built environment. Through multiple media (watercolor, pen and ink, pencil, digital drawing, and collage), students will produce a transect architectural elevation drawing that critically engages with questions of authenticity, preservation, and the performance of "heritage" in contemporary urban and architectural spaces.

This course transforms architectural drawing from representational practice into critical inquiry, using Taos's regulated urban landscape as both subject and provocation. Students will leave with expanded artistic skills and theoretical frameworks for understanding how we materialize culture through policy, design, and the perpetual reconstruction of heritage.