Summer 2026

CHELENZO FARMS & Ecoartspace

June 15-18, 2026. Los Cerrillos, New Mexico. Thank you to Patricia Watts of ecoartspace and Lorenzo and Chelsea Dominguez of Chelenzo Farms. Students learned about regenerative farming and connective aesthetics through discussions, readings, group meals, garden tours, cheese making and goat milking. A collaborative drawing project with led by Carol Flueckiger pondered how practicing basic drawing methods such as negative space, color dripping and continuous line could deepen our connective experiences to the environment and our food sources. Special Thank you to Associate Professor of Art Education Andrés Peralta for teaming up to co-create this experience and anchor students in Eco Art, Futurism & Foodways, AgriTech, Green Humanities and Blue Humanities. This trip was generously funded by School of Art and Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Art 5350 Imaginary Futures. (6) Mia Deleon, Art Education, Jenny Eskew, MAE, Leigh Harrison, MAE, Mikayla Haynie, MAE, Courtney Lamb, Art Education, Liz Perez, Art Education.

Ogallala Commons Playa Classroom

June 6, 2026. Nazareth, TX. Drawing Playa Wetlands workshop at the Playa Classroom in Nazareth, TX for the Playa Management Course participants. Twenty people gathered to draw and experience a playa wetland. Thank you to our workshop leaders: Jose Barrientos, Nature Journalist, Darryl Birkenfeld, Playa Wetlands expert and myself, Carol Flueckiger, Artist.

Playa Field Day for Playa Management Course. (14)

La Cuna Art Center

April 18, Castell, Texas. Attended the Land + Water Conference with students Jenny Eskew and Leigh Harrison. We also presented a Drawing Prairie Plants workshop.

Art 5320 Grad Drawing. Jenny Eskew, MAE, Leigh Harrison

Ogallala Commons Community Water Conference

February 25, 2026, Hereford, TX. Attended Ogallala Commons community water conference in Hereford, TX. Was joined by student Marcelo Burdis. We learned about the book Land of the Underground Rain by Donald E. Green.

ART 4340 Topics. (1) Marcelo Burdis

Ogallala Commons Playa Classroom

Feb. 3, 2026. Nazareth, Texas. “The days are getting longer, now that we are over 6 weeks past the Winter Solstice.  Last week, Prof. Carol Flueckiger and three of her students visited OC's Playa Classroom to observe current conditions.  They marveled at one of the large “macropore” holes lying across the playa basin, evidence of aquifer recharge during the wet period of abundant surface water this past summer.”  Darryl L. Birkenfeld, Ph.D., Director Emeritus, Ogallala Commons

ART 2310 Art, Environment, Sustainability (2) Ella Davis, Honors/Computer Science and Calvin Tong, Honors/Cell and Molecular Biology

ART 4340 Topics. (1) Lillian Mahan, Art, Media, Technology.

Upcoming Field Trips

Stay tuned for Summer I, 2027!

TTU Global Sorghum Conference, Lubbock, TX. September 14 - 18, 2026

Art, Environment, Sustainability Exhibition, Lubbock, TX. September 1-30, 2026

Ogallala Life: Shorebirds Field Day, Nazareth, TX. August 26, 2026