Voices from the Land: Integrating Language, Landscape, Art and Culture

Research reveals an ancient and intimate connection between language and landscape, a connection that is found in cultures around the world. Within each person there is a gifted orator, artist, listener, and performer. Exploring the natural world becomes a way for people to develop these gifts and celebrate their use.

Voices from the Land uses the natural landscape as inspiration for students to explore the power of written and oral language, digital photography, performing arts, online publishing… and the power of working collaboratively with other people. Through the Voices process, students create ephemeral art using only what nature has to offer and write poetry based on their artwork. They then design and publish books and/or posters showcasing their art and poetry and share them with their school, community, and beyond.

This two-day workshop will guide you through the process in a hands-on way to ensure you have the skills and knowledge necessary to implement the program in your own classroom or educational setting. Voices from the Land projects have been implemented with preschool through secondary level students of average, gifted, or special needs, in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Turkey Spain, Italy, Poland, Latvia, Romania, and New Zealand.

This is a two-day session (9am-3pm), rain or shine. Space is limited for this workshop, and registration is required. Additional details are available on this flyer. Each participant will receive a Voices from the Land guide containing examples and instructional materials. Purchase orders from school districts are accepted. NJDEP does not currently permit overnight stays at the School of Conservation. Participants who need lodging can find options in nearby Newton, or may be able to reserve a nearby campsite or lean-to in Stokes Stoke Forest (these book quickly for weekend nights, so act fast!).

Retired NJ educators and originators of “Voices from the Land”, Erik and Kris Mollenhauer have conducted Voices projects across the US and several countries. In 2018, Voices was recognized by the Virginia Master Naturalists as “Project of the Year” for its effectiveness.

PLEASE NOTE: No pets are permitted on the NJSOC Campus.

Refund Policy:

Your event fee, minus Eventbrite Fees, is fully refundable if cancelled 7 or more days before the event. In the case of a multi-day event, you must cancel 7 or more days before the first day of the event. No partial refunds are given if you cannot attend all days of the event.

While we appreciate being notified if you are unable to attend an event, refunds are not given for cancellations within 7 days of the event.

For events that are weather-dependent, a raindate/reschedule date is included in the event description. We do not offer refunds if an event is rescheduled for the specified date.

If we must cancel an event, your registration fee, including Eventbrite fees, will be refunded.

The Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation is a U.S. tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. When NJSOC closed in July 2020, the Friends launched a campaign to save it. This ultimately led to negotiations with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, owners of NJSOC, to obtain an interim management agreement for the School. This agreement was finalized in April 2021, and the Friends of NJSOC are proud to offer limited programming at NJSOC with the help of dedicated and talented volunteers. We are pleased to register you for one of our programs!