Like many arts events that’ve been canceled or gone virtual this year due to COVID-19, the beloved Trails & Vistas art hikes and performances have also gone virtual marking the first time the art hike will be presented as a film.
“Full Circle”
Available Sept. 18-Oct. 18 | $20 adult or family | $15 student
In July 2020, past Trails & Vistas musicians, poets and dancers began filming a virtual art hike titled “Full Circle.” This 40-minute film will be released on Sept. 18. It will feature a few of Trails & Vistas favorite venues where the art hikes have taken place over the last 17 years.
“We held off as long as we could and eventually decided to shift this year’s art hike to a virtual event. The art sites that we chose are more visual to give viewers the experience of being out there with the musician or poet and noticing natural elements along the way, like the granite rocks and twisted junipers,” says Nancy Tieken Lopez, founder and artistic director of Trails & Vistas.
“It opened my eyes to how I could take my artwork out to the trails and not have that direct connection to the artist.”
–Nancy Tieken Lopez
Lopez is hoping that the funds generated from the film will help the nonprofit arts organization stay alive through this year so it can resume its regular art hikes and World Concert in 2021.
Movie tickets cost $15 per student and $20 per adult or family. The price buys the attendee access to the film to view at home on or after Sept. 18 until Oct. 18. Those going through financial hardship can email Lopez for information on how to gain access to the flick.
“I want everyone to have access to this film at a time when it’s needed the most,” she says.
Some of the highlights of “Full Circle” include performances by harpist Motoshi Kosako, Truckee ballerina Leigh Collins and local musicians Emily Tessmer and Danny Strurtevant. Many of the musicians are paired up with InnerRhythms Dance, a group that has been involved with Trails & Vistas since its inception.
“A few of these dancers were 12 years old when they started performing with us in 2004. Now they’re adults. That’s one of the reasons why this film is called ‘Full Circle,’ it symbolizes where Trails & Vistas began to where it is now, as well as the seedlings growing up into trees that continue nourishing the environment,” Lopez says.
Likewise, filming “Full Circle” was nourishing for the artists involved; many expressed to Lopez about being thrilled to contribute their creative talents during these crazy times.
“When we were out filming InnerRhythms founder Elizabeth Archer said, ‘This is feeding my soul,’” Lopez says. “It’s important to get out and do something creative for the community. Everyone is craving the arts and music.”
When asked if there are any silver linings to producing a virtual art hike rather than hosting it live, Lopez says: “It’s about what the artists shared with me, giving voice to what we do, feeding into that social function of art and giving back with a focus on the connection with the land around you. It’s taught me to simplify things, be grateful for this land, friends and family and this collaboration over the last 17 years. I’ve recognized the strength of friendship with these artists.”
This has also given Lopez the opportunity to shift from being the artistic director to one of the artists.
“I was able to make sculptural pieces for the film. It’s fun to work in a different art medium again. I had all of these ideas sitting in a red folder that I’ve wanted to do for years and I could finally make them happen,” she says.
Lopez created three life-size encaustic wax dresses, each of them symbolizing something that meant a lot to her while creating Trails & Vistas. For instance, one of the dresses, called “Cold Mountain Poems,” is named after two Buddhist monks who, in 700 A.D., would write down poems on landmarks and then disappear.
“It opened my eyes to how I could take my artwork out to the trails and not have that direct connection to the artist,” she says. “I believe the arts are essential; I’m grateful for the California Arts Council matching grant that’s helping us hang on. If people buy a movie ticket that will really help keep our local arts alive, too.”
For a $100 donation people get a film ticket and an art vessel mailed to them that of sensory items to enjoy while watching the film. | Tickets trailsandvistas.org
