Sebastopol songwriter Anne Carol Mitchell aka Brightdarkdawn, who writes music inspired by ecology and conservation, is teaching a day-long, collaborative workshop with Pepperwood’s Education Program Manager, Holland Gistelli. The workshop, Nature as Muse: Songwriting with the Land, will take place at Pepperwood Preserve on Saturday, October 19th. 

Mitchell and Gistelli are providing a workshop to inspire connections with nature through artistic expression and discovery in the natural world. Gistelli, who has over 14 years of experience in environmental education, will lead participants on a hike where they will be invited to explore the extraordinary beauty of Pepperwood through their senses followed by a meditative journaling exercise. Mitchell will introduce participants to music derived from experiences in nature and guide participants to use their revelations in the natural world in the development of lyrics and songs. The focus on the workshop will be on discovery and the creative process, so all levels of musical and writing experience are welcomed. For more information, visit bit.ly/NatureSongwriting. 

“Pepperwood’s work and dedication to conservation through the arts are so important for connecting people to nature, helping them to go deeper than just a walk in the woods. Our workshop will be a place where people can not only take in the extraordinary majesty of Pepperwood, but also use artistic practice to cultivate greater presence with the natural world,” said Mitchell

Pepperwood, whose mission is to inspire conservation through science, is known throughout Sonoma County as a place that spotlights the arts and artists that work in environmental subject matter. Pepperwood’s Inspiring Connections with Nature Initiative includes seasonal shows in the Gallery at the Dwight Center for Conservation Science as well as outdoor sculptures prominently displayed on its property. As Pepperwood’s Gallery Director and Cultural Resource Coordinator, Ben Benson, has shared on Pepperwood’s website, “Pepperwood utilizes art as an aesthetic segue and as an emotional stimulus. The goal is to open people’s hearts so that they can feel more deeply the magnificence of Nature.” 

Workshop details:

Nature as Muse: Songwriting with the Land

Saturday, October 19, 2024

9:00am – 4:00m

$65 per person
Ages 16 and up welcome
Meet at the Bechtel House, Pepperwood Preserve 

2130 Pepperwood Preserve Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Participants must sign up beforehand at bit.ly/NatureSongwriting.

Bios 

Anne Carol Mitchell aka Brightdarkdawn

Anne Carol Mitchell, MFA, is a composer and songwriter in Sonoma County who crafts music with the aim of awakening care and healing for the living earth. Her songs are reminiscent of folk traditions in the vein of Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Anne’s work celebrates the storied existence of the Earth in all its beauty, vulnerability, resiliency, and ferocity. Anne is a graduate of the UC Climate Stewards certification course and the California Naturalist program at Pepperwood. 

Anne’s most recent work in Sonoma County was the sold-out, queer art and ecology concert I’ll Show You the Night in partnership with the Robert Ferguson Observatory and the Arlene Francis Center. The event included the release of Brightdarkdawn’s new album I’ll Show You the Night.

Anne has shared the stage and studio with notable artists including Ani DiFranco, Jimmy Horn (Mr. December), Judy Grahn (a woman is talking to death), Peter Jaques (Brass Menažeri), as well as others. She has produced four albums of original songs under her name and under her new project name Brightdarkdawn. Listen to her latest releases at https://brightdarkdawn.com/.

Anne’s work as a teacher has included adjunct faculty at California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, guest lecturing at New College of California, and Sofia University in the Women’s Spirituality and Experimental Performance Master’s programs. She has designed music curriculum for teenage girls and taught songwriting workshops at women’s retreats in Canada.

Holland Gistelli

Holland has over 14 years of experience in the fields of education and youth development, most of which has been dedicated to environmental education in Sonoma County. She has called both coasts home, from a childhood spent roaming the hills of Napa County to studying Psychology and School Counseling at the University of Connecticut. She is a firm believer in the multidimensional value of environmental education for all, and is passionate about connecting people with the natural world. Holland coordinates Pepperwood’s Community Education classes and hikes, manages our Students Conducting Environmental Inquiry (SCENIQ) and TeenNat programs, and is a certified California Naturalist and Climate Steward. In her free time she enjoys travel and camping, dabbling in art projects and gardening, and good meals with friends and family.