Students learned about the history of body percussion and got to take part in their own step dance with Jason Nious, Kishema Pendu Malik, and Danielle Hicks

I applied for and received a $1500 NAC grant for an artist residency in February!! Jason Nious will be returning with his group Molodi to teach step dancing and body percussion for the Baker Elementary, Garrison Elementary and EskDale High School students (see 2016 pics in our Gallery). We are excited for his return.

Thanks to the generosity of Jenna Dalton and friends (Brian Rose, George Kunz, Stephanie Ferris, Jim Dalton, Joanne Dalton) for her birthday fundraiser on Facebook! 

During the clay owl workshops, kiddos had fun making their own creations!

As part of the "Celebrating Feminine Energy" Retreat, participants had fun with Suminagashi.

Our second art camp was a success, with daily attendance ranging from 12 to 24 local and visiting youth. We are grateful to the artists for their long treks to the desert, and to our devoted volunteers who helped to make each day so harmonious and fun!

Auntie V has done it again, with a generous donation of $2500 from the Snake Valley Scholarship Fund. We are so grateful to her and the Baker Boys from Diversity Days. Her contribution has been key in creating our second annual art camp!!

Soulfood Studios teamed up with the Baker-Garrison P.A.T. to purchase and assemble "DROID Inventor Kits" from littleBits. Students worked in teams to build R2D2 droids to auction at the Harvest Festival. The auctioned droids helped to offset costs for the P.A.T. portion of funding. (Click on images to enlarge)

July 4th to July 8th, 2018 at Home Farm. Workshop ideas include: Daily singing/drumming/chanting, Healing circle/talking circle/dancing circle, Yoga honoring the feminine, Bodywork in the osteopathic tradition, Pilates, Food Justice, Gender, Body Type & Fashion, Medicine Walk with local herbs, Mess Painting and Dancing with the ‘Mother’, Ceremonies to honor each major coming of age in a woman's life, menses, pregnancy, cronehood.

Thanks to donor Michelle Rushford-Perkins for her $2000 donation to Soulfood Studios. This is enough to fund Art Camp 2018!! In addition, generous Facebook donations were also received from Jenny Casper Hamilton, Jessica Madsen Zimianitis,  Nicola Rushford, and Donna Kuiper. So grateful for their support!!

Our first art camp was a stunning success! Over 22 participants showed up!! A remarkable figure for a town of 250. Many thanks to Soulfood Studios Board Members - Joanne Dalton, John Woodyard, Diane Pierce, Nomi Sheppard, and by proxy Geri Mendoza's partner David Cochrane for volunteering their time. Thanks also to Chayo Duran, Sundar Woodyard, and Jenny Hamilton for helping out. Thanks again to Home Farm with the help of Charles Davis and Val Taylor, for the use of their space. We are so grateful to the artists who literally drove hundreds of miles to be with us.

As one parent wrote to me, "...my kids loved the art camp! Thanks so much for all your time and investment into doing it. "

Our second annual Art Booth at the Snake Valley Festival was equally successful, with high participation and appreciation from parents who posted pics on Facebook, "​She had so much fun today! 😙😚😍😘 thanks Nomi MartinSheppard"

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Many thanks to Val Taylor for her donation to our Art Camp! Simply astonishing, this magnanimous gesture was unsolicited of course. Such a generous spirit. We are grateful!

Join us for our first Art Camp! See details here: Art Camp

Many thanks to Kate Claeys and Jake Cerese of the Stargazer Inn, for donating hotel rooms to our artists for the Art Camp. Their generosity is greatly appreciated!

Just had a wonderful visit from Virginia Catherall, Artist in Residence from Great Basin National Park, who is a textile artist and museum educator at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. She did an excellent presentation on the Huichol paintings of Native Mexicans, and allowed us (local elementary/secondary students) to simulate this process with our "landscape" yarn art. 

"I inspire to create and collaborate"
Just completed an amazing artist residency with Jason Nious of Molodi, Inc. He visited our three Snake Valley schools this past week to teach us about body percussion and step dancing. Not only is he astoundingly talented in the art of body percussion, but a consummate professional, so personable, inspiring and wise. The children of the valley loved him. We are so grateful he shared his gifts with us and expanded our world. See pics and videos on the Gallery page.

Soulfood Studios received its first unsolicited donation from a Snake Valley neighbor - we are so grateful for her generosity. Gratitude Joyce!!