This proposal is respectfully submitted by a practicing artist and aspiring naturalist with four weeks’ experience in an historic Cape Cod dune shack, believing that a 100-day solitary stay in the dunes during the change of seasons will open a world rarely encountered and recorded in the century since Henry Beston's year of life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod.

The proposal is a means to start a conversation with others invested in the continued preservation of the Outer Cape dunes and seashore. The project idea stems from a belief that attending to Nature during an extended period of solitude, and then responding, recording, and sharing the experience from an artist/naturalist’s view, will foster a deeper understanding of and public connection to this remote landscape and also provide potential for innovative fundraising opportunities.

Vision

A 100-day solitary stay in a dune shack during the change of seasons will provide the immersion needed to observe and record nature with the intent of sharing the experience from an artist/naturalist’s perspective. The project will give attention to the remote Outer Cape dunes and seashore, foster pathways for creatively sharing the experience, and create opportunities for fundraising to benefit the preservation of this vulnerable landscape.  The project will be funded by sponsorships, donations, and possibly grant awards. Proceeds from the sale of artwork and the publication of an artist’s book would also provide long term sources of funding.

Goals

1. Provide an opportunity for extended solitary immersion in the dunes of Cape Cod during the change of seasons.

2. Foster a deeper public understanding of and connection to the remote Cape Cod dunes and seashore by creatively sharing the experience.

3. Create opportunities for fundraising to benefit the dunes, dune shacks, and the Outer Cape wilderness environment.
   

Project Summary

The year 2025 will mark the 100th anniversary of the building of Henry Beston’s “Fo’castle” and the beginning of his “year of life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod.” His book “The Outermost House,” although not as widely known as the works of other great nature writers, is a deeply sensitive and beautifully written book of prose focused on nature and its connection to the human spirit.

This project will attempt to replicate some of his experience and compare his observations to those of a 21st century artist and naturalist. By focusing attention on nature and creatively recording observations, it also seeks to bring renewed understanding to his assertion that an “awareness and experience of that divine mystery” - the primal connection of nature to the human spirit - is essential to the “completeness and integrity of humanity.” (Beston, 1949)

Many artists and writers have spent time in the dunes of Cape Cod over the last century. The art and writing that comes out of such experiences are always deeply inspired by this unique, remote landscape. However, it is difficult to find examples of work created during a prolonged solitary stay in the dunes that also focuses on the careful observation of nature, especially in harsh conditions. This was Henry Beston’s experience and the result was writing that effectively influenced the birth of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

This project will similarly aim to record observations and respond creatively to the change of seasons, wildlife, vegetation, land formations, and weather during a long period of solitude in the dunes.  Methods of recording and responding will include small scale paintings in oil, gouache, and watercolor, monotype, daily charcoal journal drawings, and daily note-taking and journal writing.

Importantly, the project will also endeavor to creatively share these observations while maintaining and respecting the remote qualities of the landscape. Potential fundraising opportunities include daily scaled sponsorships, the exhibition and sale of artwork, and ultimately the publication of an artist’s book.

Background

The opportunity for solitary time in the dunes for more than one week is rare. Immersion in this unique landscape for longer than two or three weeks is nearly unheard of, except for those who are long-term residents of the shacks. In the last 100 years, few people have benefitted from the gift of prolonged time in the Outer Cape dunes, especially during the change of seasons. Of those who have remained for longer than a few weeks, fewer still are known to have spent time carefully observing nature, recording those observations, and intentionally sharing their experience with the public.

As Beston exemplified such immersive experiences, especially by artists, writers, poets, and naturalists, are meaningful, important, and even necessary for the continued preservation of this wilderness landscape. The public experiences and connects with remote landscapes most profoundly and personally through the creative work of artists and writers. This personal connection by the public is important to fostering a collective interest in the protection of vulnerable landscapes.

On a personal level, a few events occurred which led to this project idea. In 2017 I applied for and was chosen by lottery for a week’s stay in the C-Scape dune shack. My visit took place in mid-April when a record number of over 200 right whales were counted in the area. I fell asleep to the sound of their exhale. The days were rainy, cold, and intensely transformative.

Seven days in the dunes felt like a mere beginning, so the following year I applied for a three-week artist’s residency through the Provincetown Community Compact and was fortunate to be selected as the second of three artists for 2018.

It is difficult to communicate in a few words the impact of these experiences on the human spirit and the immense sense of awe and gratitude they instilled. But again, those three weeks did not feel long enough. It takes a full week to begin to settle into the rhythms of this other-worldly environment, and the final week is spent mentally preparing to leave. But as the dunes disappeared in the rearview mirror, I sensed a beginning rather than an ending.

Since 2018, an idea has been simmering: the idea of a 100-day dune shack stay focused on nature with the intention of recording and sharing the experience.

The main personal motivation first and foremost is to experience solitude in the dunes for several months during the change of seasons. It is also important this time to go out with intention, to pay attention, and to record and share the experience, as I have been moved and inspired by others who have done the same. Lastly, collaborating with a like-minded community of partners would provide accountability and the thrill of working together to offer something beautiful to the world. Ultimately, the hope is that this project will be mutually beneficial for all involved.

Potential Community Engagement Opportunities

• Sponsorships/donations

• Post-project exhibits/talks

• Weekly small scale tours, possibly including field workshops or a collaborative art project

• Artist’s book publication
  

Timeline

2023

• Explore and develop partnerships with local organizations

• Create a committee of community stakeholders

• Research and submit grant applications

2024

• Secure use of a dune shack

• Finalize project plan

• Schedule art exhibit/artist talks/community outreach opportunities

• Develop and prepare funding campaign

• Secure funding to cover expenses and lost revenue

2025

• Continue fundraising

• May - July: Gather supplies and materials

• August/September through November/December: Extended stay

2026

• Art Exhibit (in person and online)

• Distribution of artwork and thank you letters to sponsors

• Community talks

Possible Funding Sources and Fundraising Opportunities

• Daily sponsorships, for example, 100 @ $100 each (minimum goal: $10,000)
  Daily sponsors receive that day’s charcoal journal drawing

• Sale of paintings and artwork created in the dunes (minimum goal: $6,000)

• Grant funding (e.g., Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant and others)

• Publication and sale of an artist’s book
  

Estimated Expenses
$12,000 Total

Use of dune shack (14 weeks @$500 per week)
to replace income from lease, lotteries, and residencies
$7,000

Food/water ($150 per week)
$2,000

Equipment/supplies (estimated)
$3,000

Requested Resources

• Use of a dune shack for 100 days

• Vehicle/driver to provide transportation (supply replenishment, trash removal)

• Emergency contact (radio or text/voice only cell phone)

• Firewood

• Space for post-project exhibit/talks
  

Conclusion

One hundred years ago, Henry Beston quietly went alone into the dunes for a year and experienced the change of seasons and everything that comes with it - severe weather, bird migrations, the changing colors and patterns of wildlife. He carefully attended to this unique landscape in a way that only an extended solitary experience can provide. Importantly, he wrote about his experience with honesty and deep respect and intentionally shared it with the world.

It has been said that Beston’s writing was influential to the preservation of Cape Cod and the birth of the National Seashore. As our nation’s wild landscapes continue to dwindle, it is becoming more important but increasingly challenging for artists to not just visit, but to travel deep into Hazel Hawthorne’s “exquisite unreality,” which exists just beyond the surface of our known experience. In this culture of technology and with growing controversy over climate-change, contemporaries are urgently needed to inspire us and to provide, as Beston described, “a meditative perception of the relation of Nature to the human spirit.”

Time spent in a dune shack is in high demand, and 100 days for one individual is admittedly a huge ask. The hard work of the various non-profit organizations partnering with the National Park Service provides many artists and others with meaningful opportunities to experience life in the dunes. This project aims to add to their work by creating a uniquely prolonged stay during the transition from summer to winter, focused on nature and the importance of sharing the journey.

The success of this project’s goals requires an honest love for the dunes and a familiarity with what it’s like to live in a dune shack. It requires experience working with community organizations to fundraise. Importantly it requires a strong daily art and writing practice and an ability to respond to the experience in a way that has the potential to engage, move, and transform the human spirit. As I possess these qualities and have this experience, and as the timing of this project aligns perfectly with my situation, the hope is to find a community of partners interested in exploring the idea.

More importantly this project requires a great deal of local help and expertise, and this proposal provides a framework from which to start a conversation. With the support of a like-minded community, something beautiful, meaningful, and even transformative can be offered to the world that will give honor and attention to Nature, foster a deeper connection to this unique landscape, and benefit the continued preservation of the Great Beach of Cape Cod.

Information and Contact

Stacy Caldwell
Landisville, PA
stacycaldwell@comcast.net
717-419-4225

Artist CV

Artwork

Web Site
Instagram
Art at King’s Oaks

Fundraising Projects

Celebrate Life – Artists Collaborating for Kids with Cancer - organizer/curator

• 16 artists created works of art based on campers drawings, work sold at event/auction

• over $6,000 raised for Camp Can Do, a summer camp for kids with cancer

The Dogs of Lancaster - personal fundraising venture

• 32 paintings created, exhibited, and sold

• 50% of total sales donated to the Humane League of Lancaster County

Letters of Support

• Erwin M. Saniga, PhD, Dana Johnson Professor Emeritus, University of Delaware, Painter
  View Letter

• John David Wissler, Board President of The Mount Gretna School of Art, President Emeritus of the Heliker-LaHotan Foundation, Artist
  View Letter

• Miriam Marguerita Gomez Witmer, PhD, Founder and former President of Celebration for Life, Inc., Associate Professor of Educational Foundations, Millersville University
  View Letter