About the Program: Observing Migration and Transformation
Despite being much anticipated, springtime in Maine, and all of the natural transformation it brings, can come and go fairly quickly. If we are not attentive, we might miss some of the most exciting movements and changes that come with season. “Observing Migration and Transformation” will be a series of workshops and excursions that will give us the opportunity to pay close attention to springtime movement and change in the natural world. We will observe during plant and birding walks close to the property, and we will practice nature journaling and poetry writing that celebrates all that we see.
Samaa Abdurraqib: Artist Statement
For the past several years, I have been drawn to processes of grieving and excavating. Excavation has taken on several forms – digging through recent grief and trauma to find the pieces that still needed to be wrung out; unearthing archives from my mother who died almost 30 years ago and my aunt/her sister, who died almost 10 years ago; sifting through my internal workings to understand how collective grief has fundamentally changed me. As I have been diving into new understandings of my grief, I have also been strengthening my understandings and relationship with the natural world. The natural world has been a place of refuge and grounding in my written work.
In more recent years, I have turned my fascination into deep observation and study. In 2023, I took a year-long certification to become a Master Naturalist in my region. While I had 10 years of experience with birding and a burgeoning knowledge of plants (primarily wildflowers), this course helped firm up those foundations and expand my understanding of botany and the interconnectedness between plants, trees, fungi, and life in this region.
The project I’m currently researching and writing about fully focuses on plants – their relationships, the medicines they carry, the supports they provide for ecosystems, their histories, and their beauty. My decision to focus on plants stems from my interest and curiosity in three specific plants: common yarrow, white cedar, and common boneset. I have been drawn to and supported by these plants in several settings and, with common boneset in particular, have begun to write towards them. Turning my attention towards plants has felt like a curious re-emergence after writing about grief for so long.
